Editorial: Pope Leo XIV says just war theory is outdated. Catholics should take heed.
ncronline.org
Pope Leo XIV's rejection of just war theory forces a reckoning with a 1,600-year-old moral framework — and asks whether religious ethics can ever truly justify killing.
Just War TheoryNonviolence EthicsNatural Law TheoryMoral Philosophy
Theory Briefing
- Pope Leo XIV has declared just war theory outdated, challenging a doctrine that has shaped Catholic moral reasoning since Augustine.
- The editorial argues Jesus offered a way of life — loving enemies, not a framework for sanctioned violence — undercutting the theory's theological roots.
- Discarding just war theory after 16 centuries raises urgent questions about what moral framework, if any, should guide Catholic responses to modern conflict.