The question of whether war can be waged in the name of Jesus is being debated between the American government and Pope Leon XIV. While the US government regularly invokes religion in its communication regarding the conflict with Iran, calling it a “just war,” the Pope disagrees, causing frustration in Donald Trump. But what does this notion really entail?
The theory of just war dates back to antiquity, found in the writings of Cicero, and was developed by Saint Augustine in the 4th century and Saint Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century to set limits on the conduct of war. A just war, therefore legitimate, must meet several criteria: its cause must be just, it must be a last resort, and it must respect a proportionality of means.
This doctrine has significantly evolved since 1945, as explained by Isabelle de Gaulmyn in the show Tout un monde. She is a former editor-in-chief of the newspaper La Croix and a specialist in the Christian religion.
“Since 1945, popes and theologians have progressively restricted the conditions of a just war, with very strict criteria: last resort, protection of civilians, and respect for justice. Pope Francis had even stated that one could no longer speak of a just war. Pope Leon XIV follows this line by relying on international law: the American offensive in Iran, not validated by the UN, cannot be considered just according to him,” she explains.
American messianism, a historical constant
This reference to just war is not unique to the Trump presidency, according to Ludovic Tournès, professor of global history at the University of Geneva. “Practically all wars led by the United States have been qualified as just wars, or at least that was the idea, as the US always conducts wars ‘to save civilization.’ So, this is not new,” he elaborates.
“In the justifications given for US entries into wars, whether in the First or Second World War, the Vietnam War, Afghanistan, Iraq, there is always this notion of just war, war against terrorism, civilization wars against rogue states, the war of good against evil,” he adds, recalling that “this also refers to American messianism, with the idea of being a people chosen by God.”
Similar justifications in Russia and Israel
Donald Trump is not the only leader to speak of just wars or civilization. His ally Benjamin Netanyahu presents all Israeli wars as actions taken in the name of the Judeo-Christian civilization against barbarism. Vladimir Putin uses the exact same argument, endorsed by the Russian Orthodox Church, stating that it is a fight “of a Christian civilization against a depraved Europe.”
By opposing Donald Trump, Pope Leon XIV reminds the president that he cannot hide behind the banner of just war and the Bible to avoid international law.
Malika Nedir/ther
