Archbishop: U.S.-Iran War Fails Just War Criteria

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, head of the Archdiocese for the Military Services in the United States, stated that the ongoing U.S. war against Iran does not meet the criteria of the Catholic Church's Just War Theory, describing the conflict as an effort to counter a potential threat before it materializes. In an interview taped on April 2, 2026, and broadcast on CBS's Face the Nation on April 5, Broglio expressed alignment with Pope Leo XIV's calls for negotiation amid the fighting, which began in late February and has resulted in significant casualties on both sides.

Broglio, who oversees more than 200 Catholic chaplains serving U.S. troops, addressed the moral framework rooted in the teachings of St. Augustine and codified in the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church. The theory permits war only as a last resort in self-defense, after exhausting peaceful options, and requires that any aggression cause lasting, grave, and certain damage, with reasonable prospects for success and no greater evils produced than those addressed. He noted the absence of evidence that Iran was actively pursuing nuclear weapons, despite concerns over its enrichment activities and missile program....