Pope Leo XIV said the war being waged by the United States and Israel against Iran was not a “just war”, arguing that the centuries-old theory no longer reflected the realities of modern warfare.
Speaking to journalists aboard his flight from Rome to Madrid during the fourth foreign trip of his pontificate, the pope was asked whether the conflict in Iran could be considered a just war after US Vice President JD Vance invoked the concept while defending Washington’s military actions 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.