Statement in Support of Pope Leo XIV

Virginia Catholics for Racial Justice expresses our deepest gratitude to our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, for his courage and moral clarity on this unjust war, and we thank Bishop Barry C. Knesthout, shepherd of our diocese, for his statement in support of Pope Leo.

Pope Leo has dedicated his life as a servant leader of the Catholic Church and has been prepared for such a time as this. As the successor of Saint Peter, Bishop of Rome, and Vicar of Christ, Pope Leo speaks as the moral authority of the Catholic Church, interpreting and teaching Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. In Tradition, we find the just war criteria, which this war does not meet. The initial framework for the Just War Theory dates back to Saint Augustine of Hippo in the early Church; in the 13th century Saint Thomas Aquinas formalized it. Just war criteria can be found in the Cathechism of the Catholic Church (Part III §§2307-2309 Avoiding War), the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (Chapter 11, §2, ¶¶ 500-501 Legitimate Defense), and the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et spes (Chapter 5, §1, ¶¶79-81 The Avoidance of War). These contain not only the just war criteria but the tenets of our faith in Catholic Social Teaching that compel us to work towards the common good.

Virginia Catholics for Racial Justice denounces every action that blasphemes and denigrates the Gospel of Jesus and insults the highest office of the Church. The Magisterium is the church authority that interprets and teaches Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, the Deposit of Faith. Hence, an attack on the Holy Father is an attack on Catholicism. We stand with Pope Leo and Bishop Knestout.

We ask now for every Catholic to examine their consciences. In moral theology as conveyed in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, a well-informed conscience creates the space to hear the voice of God. If social media posts of the leader of the United States create a visceral reaction when you imagine them coming out of the mouth of Jesus, let that be a litmus test that these violent and destructive words and actions are NOT of God. Our God is a God who loves mercy and disdains any form of violence that destroys human life and stifles human flourishing. Every human being has a right to life – the child in the womb of an Iranian pregnant mother, the elderly grandmother who cannot flee fast enough to avoid the line of fire, Iranian school children who will never come home to their parents, and military personnel – fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters – who have been put in harm’s way.

We, too, have been prepared for such a time as this. We pray for our Holy Father, Pope Leo, our shepherd, Bishop Knestout, all government leaders, and every citizen of the world. Let us put our faith into action in this election year, and vote for leaders who work for justice that brings forth Christ’s peace.

Mother Mary, who knows the suffering and loss of war, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Reference Links:

Statements on the attack on Iran

Additional statements in support of Pope Leo XIV: