Saint Joseph Catholic Church

“Catholic teaching holds that war is subject to strict conditions of moral legitimacy,” the episcopal conference’s Communications Service stated. “The use of force cannot be presumed to be just a priori; it must satisfy grave and demanding criteria, and may be considered only as a last resort.”

“Even where force is judged permissible, the protection of civilians remains a fundamental obligation,” the CCCB continued. “The destruction of essential civilian infrastructure and the resulting suffering of non-combatants are to be avoided.”

In an implicit but clear reference to President Donald Trump’s decision to post an AI-generated image of himself that appeared to depict him as Jesus, the CCCB stated:

It is also important to recall that imagery or rhetoric presenting political leaders in terms that belong uniquely to Christ and His saving work is wholly unfitting. In addition to being disrespectful, such representations blur the proper distinction between faith and political power, distorting the meaning of both.

“The Successor of Saint Peter is not a politician—he is the Vicar of Christ, entrusted with proclaiming the Gospel and shepherding souls,” said Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly. “Whether one agrees or disagrees with particular policy judgments, the Holy Father’s prophetic voice deserves to be heard with respect and engaged seriously.”

“In 2025, the Rare Book and Special Collections Division acquired a Thomas Merton Collection comprising 143 items and containing first editions, uncorrected proofs, artwork, manuscripts, recordings, and portraits of this fascinating figure,” wrote Mark Manivong, who said that his post “includes a short biography of Merton and showcases some of the materials in this new collection.”

The Miami Herald reported that the federal funds were used “to shelter and care for migrant children who enter the U.S. alone, ending a relationship between the Catholic Church and the U.S. government dating back to the first arrivals of Cuban exiles in South Florida.”

“The U.S. government has abruptly decided to end more than 60 years of relationship with Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Miami,” said Archbishop Thomas Wenski. “The Archdiocese of Miami’s services for unaccompanied minors have been recognized for their excellence and have served as a model for other agencies throughout the country.”

Pope Benedict was born on April 16, 1927. The initiatives over the course of the next year “look to the past, to Ratzinger’s thought, but they want to take it up again not in a merely preservative way, but in dialogue with today’s problems and debates because, ultimately, Ratzinger’s thought is still relevant,” said Father Roberto Regoli, the foundation’s president.

Pope Leo XIV issued a resounding call for change during an outdoor Mass this afternoon in Bamenda, Cameroon (video).

“Adherence to these norms constitutes an essential legal and moral responsibility, particularly in contexts of conflict,” said Msgr. Roberto Campisi, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

“Always, but particularly in the dramatic circumstances of war, such as those we are currently experiencing, information must be careful not to transform itself into propaganda,” Msgr. Campisi added. “And the mission of journalists—to verify information so as not to become a megaphone for power—becomes even more urgent and delicate; indeed, I would say essential.”

“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,” said Auxiliary Bishop James Massa of Brooklyn. “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 Church, no. 2308).”

Bishop Massa explained, “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,” Bishop Massa added. “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.”

“This teaching has gradually been enriched and deepened, to the point of recognizing how increasingly difficult it is to claim that a ‘just war’ exists,” said Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication. He added:

Reflections based on the theology of past centuries and possible justifications for war fail to take into account that when theologians of earlier times wrote about these issues, wars were fought with swords and clubs—not with deadly weapons and machine-guided drones, a reality that raises moral questions of dramatic intensity. There has been a growing awareness that war is not a path to be followed.

Pope Leo XIV traveled today from Cameroon’s capital of Yaoundé to Bamenda (video), where he praised the efforts of local Christian and Muslim leaders to promote peace amid the Anglophone Crisis, an armed conflict that began in 2017.