US bishops’ doctrine chairman issues statement on just war, defends Pope Leo

(LifeSiteNews) — The chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine issued a statement on the question of Just War Theory after controversial comments by Pope Leo XIV.

Bishop James Massa issued the following statement on April 15:

For over a thousand years, the Catholic Church has taught just war theory and it is that long tradition the Holy Father carefully references in his comments on war. A constant tenet of that thousand-year tradition is a nation can only legitimately take up the sword ‘in self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2308). That is, to be a just war it must be a defense against another who actively wages war, which is what the Holy Father actually said: “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.”

When Pope Leo XIV speaks as supreme pastor of the universal Church, he is not merely offering opinions on theology, he is preaching the Gospel and exercising his ministry as the Vicar of Christ. The consistent teaching of the Church is insistent that all people of good will must pray and work toward lasting peace while avoiding the evils and injustices that accompany all wars.

In his sermon for Palm Sunday, Leo XIV said:

Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood” (Is 1:15).

On April 10, comments posted on his official X account reiterated this position:

God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.

Bishop Massa’s statement has faced some criticism. Writing for First Things, Richard Cassleman said that the prelate’s claim that a just war must only be defensive is “incorrect.”

“Self-defense against an enemy actively engaged in war is the easiest justification for war, but it is by no means the only justification,” he wrote. “Augustine and Aquinas speak of avenging and punishing grave wrongs against those who have committed a fault, not merely defending against an imminent attack. Modern preoccupation with the strict defensiveness of war comes much later than even Francisco Suárez and Francisco de Vitoria in the sixteenth century, culminating with twentieth-century international law.”

Leo’s comments have also sparked discussion online, as they contradict Catholic Just War doctrine. Without nuance, Leo has said that Our Lord “rejects war,” that no one can “justify war” with reference to Him, and that “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,” which are false statements.

While the USCCB has issued a statement in an attempt to clarify the pope’s controversial remarks, the Vatican has not yet offered any clarification on the matter.

READ: Has Leo XIV contradicted Catholic teaching on just war?