Pope Leo Takes A Veiled Swipe At Trump Over Iran War: ‘go To Confession’

Pope Leo took a cloaked swipe astatine President Donald Trump Friday, saying that Christian governmental leaders who commencement wars should spell to confession and measure if they are pursuing nan teachings of Jesus.

"Do those Christians who carnivore sedate work successful equipped conflicts person nan humility and courageousness to make a superior introspection of conscience and to spell to confession?" nan pope asked successful a reside to priests.

While Leo did not sanction anyone, successful caller days he has been ramping up calls for an extremity to nan ongoing Iran war, which began pinch associated U.S.-Israeli airstrikes connected February 28.

U.S. President Donald Trump was raised successful nan Presbyterian Christian faith. Several of his apical deputies, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are Catholic.

Jesus taught his followers to beryllium non-violent. The Catholic Church mostly opposes war.

For centuries, nan Church has evaluated conflicts according to nan conscionable warfare tradition, which uses a bid of criteria to measure whether a conflict tin beryllium considered morally justifiable, for illustration repelling an cruel invasion.

Washington, D.C. Cardinal Robert McElroy said earlier this week that nan U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran were "not morally legitimate" because they did not meet nan Church's conscionable warfare criteria.

Leo was speaking connected Friday to a Vatican convention connected nan believe of confession, successful which Catholics admit their sins to a leader and inquire God's forgiveness.

The pope said that nan ritual helps individual Catholics and promotes bid and unity successful society.