By Robert Fantina, World BEYOND War, June 8, 2026
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, a “devout” Catholic who doesn’t seem to think the current Pope quite meets his exacting standards, has stated that Pope Leo should “stick to matters of morality”. This was in response to the Pope’s criticism of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran. The illustrious vice president does not seem to believe that speaking out against such actions as starting a war by bombing an elementary school constitutes a “matter of morality.”
However, the Catholic church appears to disagree. The following is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2309 describing conditions for a “just war”:
- “The damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;
- “All other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
- “There must be serious prospects of success;
- “The use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.”
This writer is not Catholic, and also does not believe that any war is “justified,” but he will briefly analyze the Catholic viewpoint, as referenced above, in the context of Vance’s ill-advised and ignorant statements.
- “The damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain.”
The first part of the Catholic “just war” policy indicates that a defensive war is “justified” if the victim nation is threatened with major, enduring harm. Constant attacks, long-term military occupation and destruction of infrastructure would qualify.
As we look at the U.S. – Israel attack on Iran, we can clearly see that none of these conditions, or anything closely resembling them, existed prior to the bombing of Iran. That country had not in any way threatened the U.S. or Israel; the nonsense of Iran seeking a nuclear weapon that could, theoretically, threaten another country was repeatedly debunked by U.S. intelligence. And please note that the “possibility” of a threat of “lasting, grave and certain” harm was not included as justification by Catholic doctrine.
- “All other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective.”
Twice in the last year – in June of 2025 and February of 2026 – the U.S. bombed Iran during negotiations. Britain’s national security advisor, Jonathan Powell, was an observer at the negotiations prior to the June bombing. He judged that Iran had made a very generous offer, and that an agreement between Iran and the U.S. would be signed during the next meeting, to follow in a matter of days. Of course, that “next meeting” never happened because the bombing by the U.S. and Israel began. So there was, indeed, an alternative method of resolving the differences, a method the U.S. and Israel simply dismissed.
- “There must be serious prospects of success.” Donald Trump, the 79-year old self-proclaimed “stable genius” and “vibrant young man” declared that, once Iran was bombed, the Iranians would rise up and overthrow the government. One hates to burst his odd balloon, but had he listened to U.S. intelligence reports, he would not have made such a statement. A report issued by the U.S. National Intelligence Council included this: “…intelligence concluded that the Iranian clerical and military establishment would react to the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by adhering to protocols designed to preserve the continuity of power.” But what are intelligence reports to a man who said his own rather dubious morality, along with his equally dubious mind, are the only things that can stop him?
- “The use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.”
If the U.S. and Israel had been successful, the “evil” produced would have either been a return of the brutal, repressive regime that the Iranians overthrew in 1979, or absolute chaos. As it is, Trump and his Zionist puppy dog have killed at least 7,000 people throughout the region, most of them in Lebanon. It does not appear that “modern means of destruction” had much of a role in the U.S.’s decision to bomb Iran.
So, let us return to the illustrious vice-president. If mass murder (aka war) isn’t a matter of morality, could he please tell us what is? He has long criticized single women, believes couples should remain together “for the sake of the children”, even if there is violence in the home, and let’s not get him started on abortion, which he compares to slavery. It probably goes without saying that he opposes gay rights.
But we are not here to discuss social issues, are we? Well, the topic of war can easily be viewed as a social issue. Despite Vance’s habit of wearing his Catholic religion like a badge, based on the comments above he does seem to require some additional education on his own religion. Are not homelessness; lack of food, water and medical care; inadequate housing; children deprived of schooling; polluted air and water all social issues? And are not all of them worsened exponentially by war?
But what is any of that? Donald Trump has said that, if Iran doesn’t sign a peace deal, “A whole civilization will die tonight”. How does Mr. Vance feel about genocide? He seems fine with it when Israel commits it in Palestine, so one must suppose it’s also acceptable for the U.S. against Iran. Does he believe that his Catholic religion sees some good in the annihilation of millions of people?
It is not unusual for U.S. politicians to be hypocrites; in fact, it seems to be the norm. But Vance seems to have made it an Olympic sport for which he deserves a gold medal. If one purports to be a dedicated, devout member of any religion, it would seem to behoove that person to A) know what the religion teaches; B) strive to follow those teachings, and C) not be too quick to criticize the leader of that religion. Mr. Vance seems to be lacking in each area.
One can only wonder what will come next in this bizarre battle between the U.S. president and vice president, and the spiritual leader of the world’s estimated 1.4 billion Catholics. If Vance has his eye on succeeding Trump in the White House, he may wish to tread softly; about 22% of Trump voters in 2024 were Catholic, and that’s a large chunk of the MAGA movement he may not want to alienate. But Vance has little choice in the matter; he must jump through whatever hoops Trump puts in front of him, because loyalty to Trump is Trump’s number one priority.
While one cannot expect much better following the presidential election of 2028, one hopes things can’t get too much worse. That year certainly seems like a long way off.
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