Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

Pope Leo XIV Slams US-Israel War on Iran as Unjust


(MENAFN) Pope Leo XIV declared that the war being waged by the United States and Israel against Iran does not constitute a "just war," arguing that the centuries-old doctrine no longer holds up against the realities of modern warfare.

Speaking to journalists aboard his flight from Rome to Madrid — the fourth foreign trip of his pontificate — the pope was asked whether the conflict in Iran could be considered a just war, following US Vice President JD Vance's invocation of the concept to defend Washington's military campaign against Tehran.

"There is no just war there," Pope Leo said.

"The problem is that the just war theory comes from centuries ago, from a time when people could not imagine the weapons and destructive capacities that exist today," he added.

The pontiff's remarks arrive against a backdrop of well-documented tensions with US President Donald Trump over the Iran conflict. Throughout the fighting, Pope Leo repeatedly called for an immediate end to hostilities and condemned rhetoric he warned could fuel further escalation. Earlier this year, he branded Trump's threat that "there will be no civilization left in Iran" as "unacceptable."

Trump fired back, dismissing the pope as "weak and terrible on foreign policy." Pope Leo rebuffed the attack, declaring he was not afraid and would not be silenced on the issue of war.

The public clash reverberated across Italy, where political leaders rallied behind the pontiff and condemned Trump's remarks. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the comments directed at Pope Leo as "unacceptable."

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