David French dissects the Pope Leo XIV and President Trump debate over the Iran war. He writes: “…the debate raises two key questions. First, is Trump’s war on Iran a just war under Catholic just war doctrine? Second, why is Catholic doctrine relevant to anyone other than Catholics?
“Trump isn’t Catholic, and it’s not clear whether ordinary Americans should care if, say, Catholic officials like JD Vance and Marco Rubio are out of line with Catholic teaching for supporting Trump’s war.”
On every level, French explains why the war is clearly an “unjust” war and morally destructive – and immorality is destructive to the United States itself. He writes:
“Why does this all matter? The reasons go well beyond the just war doctrine’s connection to international law. Confining conflict to just wars helps bind together a nation. It helps bind together alliances. It enhances the effectiveness of the armed forces.
“American history demonstrates that national unity in a conflict is almost directionally proportionate to the justice of the cause. Contrast, for example, the unambiguous virtue of defending ourselves from Imperial Japanese and Nazi aggression with the far hazier justifications for our extended war in Vietnam.
“If a just war can bind nations together, then unjust wars tear them apart.”