Analysis: When is a war a ‘just war’? | CNN Politics

A version of this story appeared in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. An interesting result of President Donald Trump’s strange and mostly one-sided feud with the pope is that there is something of a debate, through the lens of Catholic theology, about whether the US and Israel’s war on Iran is a “just war.” Without restating the minutiae of Trump’s direct attacks on Pope Leo XIV and Leo’s discussion of whether God listens to the prayers of those who make war, suffice to say they are at odds. “I like that the pope is an advocate for peace, I think that’s certainly one of his roles,” said Vice President JD Vance during an appearance at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia this week. Rather than attacking the pope, Vance said that he likes for the pope to talk about “matters of war and peace” because “at the very least, it invites a conversation.” It is an after-the-fact conversation because rather than make a public case for war and build international support, the US launched attacks on Iran while nuclear talks were ongoing. Vance, a convert to Catholicism, has a book coming out on his faith