Attacking Iran fails to meet Catholic ‘just-war’ teaching

by Tony Magliano · June 27, 2025

By US-based Tony Magliano – The bombings of Iran by Israel and the United States are clearly immoral when weighed against Catholic doctrine regarding war.

According to the church’s second teaching on war known as the “just-war theory” – which stands in stark contrast to the Catholic Church’s oldest teaching on war which is “active nonviolence” or “prophetic pacifism”– onecriterion, among several others, that must be met before participating in a possible “just-war” is that it must be a last resort, meaning that all other avenues to avoid war have been genuinely exhausted.

However, how can it be credibly argued that the recent Israeli-U.S. bombings on Iranwere done as a last resort (supposedly to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons) when Iran was actuallyin the midst of nuclear negotiations with the U.S. and its European partners when Israel launched its surprise air attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, with the U.S. launching its own airstrikes against Iran days later.

Furthermore, it is highly hypocritical to condemn Iran’s possible desire to construct nuclear weapons when the U.S., Israel, and seven other nations possess them. Rather, it is in the world’s best interest to totally abolish all nuclear weapons. This is solid Catholic teaching.

Although 20 years of unfolding nuclear negotiations with Iran have been difficult – even interspersed with cyber-attacks and proxy wars – with no permanent comprehensive settlement to date, nonetheless, all-out war has been prevented and there is no objective evidence that Iran possesses nuclear weapons.

Tragically, the recent Israeli-U.S. attacks on Iran, and Iran’s counter-attacks on Israel, have reportedly resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries – including children.

Furthermore, the Israeli-U.S. attacks upon Iran have distracted critical attention away from Israel’s relentless bombing campaign upon mostly innocent civilians in Gaza.

According to The Guardian, more than 800 Palestinians were killed in Gaza during the 12 days of Israel’s recent fighting with Iran. Palestinians were “either shot as they desperately sought food in increasingly chaotic circumstances or in successive waves of Israeli strikes and shelling.”

The ongoing Israeli airstrikes upon Gazans, combined with near total food, water, and medicine blockades, amount to nothing short of genocide.

Pope Francis tirelessly tried to convince world powers that “Wars are always madness: all is lost in war, all is gained in peace.” And challenging weapons-making corporations and complicit governments, Francis stated, “Many powerful people don’t want peace, because they live off war.”

And Pope Leo is continuing Pope Francis’ condemnation of war along with the call for dialogue and negotiations. And so must we!

Negotiations regarding serious international matters are often long and difficult. But they are always a far better alternative to war, which according to Pope Leo “does not solve problems; on the contrary, it [war] amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of peoples, which take generations to heal.”

“No armed victory,” Pope Leo continues, “can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, or stolen futures. May diplomacy silence the weapons!”

How can any Catholic,or person of good will, not applaud and strive to earnestly take up our new Holy Father’s heartfelt, insightful plea.

As I write, there is an uneasy cease-fire that hopefully will last, and talk of reestablishing negotiations. But with so many fresh wounds and hurtful memories, one must wonder how peace will be established in the foreseeable future.

Israel, Iran and the entire Middle East is a huge tinderbox only one spark away from a catastrophic explosion. It is a miracle that the Israeli-U.S. attacks upon Iran have not ignited it.

In the context of God-given free will, and human beings often violent use of it, it seems that a horrible conflagration is inevitable. And so, the temptation is to block it out of our consciousness. But we must not allow that to happen.

Instead, let recall and act upon the deeply wise words attributed to St Ignatius of Loyola: “Pray as though everything depended on God; act as though everything depended on you.”

Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated Catholic social justice and peace columnist. He is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings. Tony can be reached at .