Empire, War, and Christianity

The last several weeks have featured a very revealing back-and-forth between top US government officials and Pope Leo XIV, the Roman Pontiff. “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth has been holding Christian prayer services at the Pentagon, and praying openly for God to empower American soldiers to inflict “overwhelming violence” on America’s “enemies,” and show “no mercy.” Pope Leo responded by saying God rejects the prayers of leaders who wage war, stating, “Your hands are full of blood.” Pope Leo posted on X on April 10th: “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.” When the Pope denounced the Iran War, Vance warned him to “be careful” when discussing theology and foreign policy: “Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis? Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated Holocaust camps…I certainly think that the answer is yes.” What’s going on here?

I studied “just war theory” as a graduate theological ethicist. Without getting too far into the weeds, “just war theory” holds that a war, though always profoundly regrettable and never blessed by God, can nonetheless, in certain limited circumstances, be considered by the Church to be a “just war.” However, it must meet certain criteria:

“JUST WAR” Criteria:

1) it must have a just cause, such as protecting the innocent or self-defense,

2) it must be waged by legitimate authority,

3) it must have right intention, not revenge,

4) it must be a last resort,

5) it must have a reasonable hope of success,

6) it must avoid civilian casualties at all costs,

7) disproportionate force causing unnecessary destruction is strictly prohibited,

8) the conduct of hostilities must align with international humanitarian law - no rape, genocide, or weapons of mass destruction.

A war is “just” only if it meets ALL the criteria. If just one of the 8 criteria are not met, it is NOT CONSIDERED TO BE A JUST WAR.

THE ISRAELI-AMERICAN WAR ON IRAN IS NOT A JUST WAR

1) it was a war of choice, a war of aggression, we were not attacked

2) it is an unauthorized war, since Congress has not declared war on Iran,

3) it has interfered in Iran’s domestic affairs and aims to set it back decades, possibly create a “failed state,”

4) all peaceful efforts to resolve the underlying issues have NOT been exhausted,

5) military experts have long warned that war with Iran is unlikely to succeed,

6) it has already killed thousands of Iranian civilians, notably attacking a girls' school, killing over 170 people,

7) Israel and the United States have already destroyed civilian infrastructure, and threatened “to erase an entire civilization,” and

8) multiple war crimes have already been committed, showing systematic and brazen disregard for international humanitarian law.

The Israeli-American war on Iran fails on EVERY criterion of “just war” theory. In fact, it is a profoundly unjust war.

Of course, all wars are profoundly unjust. War is always horrible. For the first 300 years after Christ, the early Christians had nothing to do with war. With very few exceptions, they refused to serve in the military. They were a persecuted counter-cultural movement, at times going underground to survive. They stood against the Empire’s wars. However, in the 4th century CE, Roman Emperor Constantine declared Christianity “the official religion of the Roman Empire.” Augustine, a leading church theologian and North African bishop, drafted the essentials of “the just war doctrine.” The Empire regarded the Church as the “moral voice” of the Empire. So, what would be the Church’s counsel when the Empire inevitably waged its wars? The “just war doctrine” was the Church’s way to try to have it both ways – to be the “moral voice” and to accommodate the Empire. The “just war doctrine” provided reasons for the Church to withdraw its support from some wars if they did not meet the criteria. But mostly the institutional Church and the Empire had mutually beneficial agendas. Wherever the empires pitched their flags, the Church was right there with its Cross and its theological justifications, generally working hand-in-glove to establish and maintain a European “colonial order.”

The “just war doctrine” is a vital part of “imperial theology.” In the remarks of Trump, Vance, and Hegseth, you see the American Empire just assuming the Church’s support and blessing. They expect the Church to be cheerleading for this war. They bristle at anything less than full compliance and feel entitled to lecture Christian leaders who step out of the “imperial theology.” By contrast, in Pope Leo XIV’s recent remarks, we see the Catholic Church actively distancing itself from American Empire, and being willing to speak from its deepest truths to denounce the wars and genocidal rhetoric of the US government. This represents a departure from much of the Church’s sordid history going back to Constantine. A very welcome departure. War is a great social evil. Even when it claims to be justified, the conduct of war on the battlefield, especially with today’s horrifically destructive weapons, can never be justified. Authentic Christianity, steeped in the life and teachings of Jesus, will always stand in opposition. To suggest anything else is an unmitigated sacrilege.