Pope Leo XIV Criticizes U.S. Military Actions in Iran

Pope Leo XIV has issued repeated public statements opposing U.S. military actions in Iran and criticizing policies that the Vatican views as undermining diplomacy and international law. In a January 1 Mass, the pope addressed attacks on boats in international waters that killed more than 100 people over four months.

He stated that such actions undermine diplomacy, mediation, and international law. Tensions rose further in April when three U.S. cardinals appeared on 60 Minutes and described the Iran conflict as unjust under Catholic teaching. ” The vice president also publicly addressed the pope on theological grounds.

The pontiff’s objections extend beyond the Iran conflict. Vatican sources cited concerns over aggressive deportation of noncriminal immigrants, the 2025 national security strategy’s stance on multilateralism, and a military operation involving Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Catholic teaching on just war, developed from Saint Augustine, requires a just cause, legitimate authority, last resort, and proportionality. Popes have applied these criteria to U.S. military actions since the nineteenth century. Pope Leo XIII protested the U.S. occupation of the Philippines.

Pope John Paul II opposed both the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq invasion, sending a cardinal to warn of long-term regional consequences. Pope Leo XIV spent most of his career in Peru, where he witnessed violence from the Shining Path and state counterinsurgency operations.

He later served as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under his predecessor.

The Vatican maintains diplomatic relations with Iran established in 1954. In 2021 an archbishop was appointed to Tehran-Isfahan, serving roughly 2,000 Latin-rite Catholics among a larger Christian population. ” He publicly shared their appeal. An April survey by The Economist and YouGov found 42 percent of U.S. Catholics supported the pope’s position on the Iran conflict, compared with 31 percent supporting the administration’s stance.

More than six in ten viewed the pope favorably. Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees Catholic clergy for 1.8 million U.S. military personnel, stated in January that Catholic soldiers are not required to follow immoral orders and told Face the Nation on Easter Sunday that the Iran war is likely not justified under Catholic doctrine.