The following letter to the editor was published by The Boston Globe on July 2nd…
Letters to the Editor
The Boston Globe
One Exchange Place, Suite 201
Boston, MA 02109-2132
[email protected]
To the Editor:
In his column criticizing Pope Leo’s June 22nd statement on the war in the Middle East, Jeff Jacoby imputes an unreasoning pacifism to the Pope. That is not the case, (‘War does not solve problems,’ declares the pope. He’s wrong. 6/25/2025).
Far from being a categorical condemnation of all wars, the timing and content of the Pope’s remarks allude to specific events, namely the decisions of the U.S. and Israeli governments to launch preemptive attacks upon Iran, predicated upon a perceived threat that was neither imminent nor unavoidable.
In Catholic tradition, a preventive war, to forestall a potential future attack, the timing and circumstances of which are unknown, lacks just cause.
Jacoby omits any mention of the Pope’s reference to the people of Gaza, where Israel’s campaign fails two key Catholic just war standards: the Principle of Discrimination, which mandates the protection of civilians; and the Principle of Proportionality, where the harm inflicted should not outweigh the morally permissible objective which is sought.
Finally, war must be a last resort, after all peaceful means of resolving a dispute are exhausted. As President Trump was still negotiating with the Iranians when Israel attacked, a possible diplomatic solution had not yet been foreclosed.
Sincerely,
