Just war?

Catholics in the USA could be forgiven if they are confused by the apparent conflict between their President and ‘their’ Pope. It must be especially troubling for the more conservative among them. Over recent decades they stood firmly behind two conservative Popes, John Paul II and Benedict, but found Francis sufficiently confronting that many rejected much of what he said. Now ‘their’ Leo is in active confrontation with their President and their Catholic Vice-President.

The most recent exchanges among President, Vice-President, and Pope have been about the status of the war against Iran. Is it just(ified) or not?

This article by Peter Norden was recently published in Pearls and Irritations. It offers a clear account of ‘just war theory’ including its development over the centuries to more recent papal pronouncements suggesting that with modern weaponry, including nuclear arms, it is no longer credible to call any war just.