Scholars and religious leaders disputed the view that Leo is trespassing when it comes to matters of armed conflict. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus delivered a series of blessings that included: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.”
The church has long grappled with such issues, and Leo isn’t the first pope to speak out: Pope John Paul II opposed then-President George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq in 2003.
“Questions of war and peace have been the church’s lane for centuries,” John Carr, founder of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at
Our editorial team includes several staff writers, each contributing their specialized knowledge to enhance the depth and breadth of our event and story coverage.