Wednesday, April 15, 2026

US Bishops "Forget" President's Real Duties

 This is embarrassing.

 “For over a thousand years, the Catholic Church has taught just war theory and it is that long tradition the Holy Father carefully references in his comments on war. A constant tenet of that thousand-year tradition is a nation can only legitimately take up the sword ‘in self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed’ (Catechism of the Catholic Churchno. 2308). That is, to be a just war it must be a defense against another who actively wages war, which is what the Holy Father actually said: ‘He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.’

“When Pope Leo XIV speaks as supreme pastor of the universal Church, he is not merely offering opinions on theology, he is preaching the Gospel and exercising his ministry as the Vicar of Christ. The consistent teaching of the Church is insistent that all people of good will must pray and work toward lasting peace while avoiding the evils and injustices that accompany all wars.”

 We have not made a secret of our opposition to this war.

That said, it appears that the US Bishops very carefully skirt the question of "prudential judgment."  IOW, they assert--without evidence--that the US started an offensive war against Iran.

But in fact, the US President, given evidence by his military and intel sources, may have determined that Iran has been on the offensive against the US by asymmetric means and attacks, AND that '.....all peace efforts' over the last 20+ years '....have failed.'  Thus, using prudential judgment, he launched a defensive assault on Iran.

(We happen to disagree with the President's determination.  So what?  Apparently the Pope does, too.  So what?) 

Do the Bishops believe that Trump, and those who agree with him, are "bad faith operators" in this instance?

If so, they should just say so, instead of embarrassing themselves with very carefully-designed tip-toe statements which ignore the munus of the President. 

  

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Trump started an offensive war against Iran at the request of Israel.

Dad29 said...

I do not ENTIRELY disagree with you. Israel's request may have been the proverbial 'last straw' piled on top.

But Trump also believed that Iran was creating trouble for the US through funding terrorism, IT attacks, threatening the Hormuz strait, spying---whatever. Right or wrong, that's the way he saw it.

Anonymous said...

The war didn't start this year, it started in 1978 and for decades the US shovelled money at Iran to get them to delay their nuclear weapon program. They negotiated with us, took the money, then laughed at us and said they would not stop their weapons program, laughing at our naivette.
"Death to America" wasn't just a chant with them, it was and still is their goal.

Dad29 said...

Well.......then......how many times do we have to "obliterate" the program? Or, in a well-worn phrase, for how many years was a nuke "only 2 years away"?

Perhaps what you say is true. Perhaps what you say is Israeli (and their US camp-followers) propaganda, except for Obozo shipping wads of money instead of spending it on the poor and un-housed in the USA.

Dad29 said...

See this, for example: the Iranians did not need to produce a full-bore bomb:

https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=255265

Anonymous said...

He saw it that way because he wanted to see it that way. So he got us into a war we lost based on his “belief”, rather than hard facts and solid intel.

Anonymous said...

This is nuts.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth channeled his inner cinephile Wednesday, reciting a famous fictionalized Bible quote from "Pulp Fiction" during a Pentagon prayer service.

The guy is a FAKE Catholic.

Dad29 said...

Hegseth is not Catholic and never claimed to be so.