Pope rejects 'just war theory' and ends Catholic 'permission' for conflicts

Pope Leo XIV speaks to journalists aboard the papal flight from Malabo to Rome, April 23, 2026
Andrew Medichini/Pool via REUTERS
Pope Leo According to experts, the measure could have a far-reaching impact for global powers.
The rejection of the doctrine came in the pope's first major document, published on Monday (25), which also called for global regulation of AI systems and made the clearest apology yet for the Catholic Church's historic role in supporting transatlantic slavery.
"The 'just war' theory, which has been used too often to justify any type of war, is now outdated," Leão wrote in encyclical, titled "Magnifica Humanitas."
"Humanity has much more effective tools capable of promoting human life and resolving conflicts, such as dialogue, diplomacy and forgiveness," he said.
Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, a close ally of Leo who was at the Vatican for the presentation of the text, told Reuters that the pope is concerned about the way the theory has been used by world leaders to justify war.
"We have to make it clear that the theory of just war was always intended to be a restriction, not a permission that, unfortunately, some are inappropriately using to justify their decisions to go to war instead of pursuing the paths of peace," said Cupich. conflicts.
Just war theory, which generally says that wars should only be fought to defend against aggression, has been invoked by Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, to defend war in Iran.
In April, after the pope's official be careful when talking about questions of theology."
Anna Rowlands, a British academic who participated in the document's presentation, said Leo is expressing concern about "a new era of changing conflicts, now increasingly driven by technology." man who fainted in the heat in the Vatican

Source: G1