“The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild.” — Pope Leo
The story just won’t quit.
I’m in Missouri, leading a pre-ordination retreat for deacons, so I’ve been preoccupied with other things. But here’s the latest.
First, there was this response from Brooklyn’s Bishop James Massa, the USCCB’s Chairman on Doctrine, who explained the Catholic Church’s teaching on just war:
“For over a thousand years, the Catholic Church has taught just war theory and it is that long tradition the Holy Father carefully references in his comments on war. A constant tenet of that thousand-year tradition is a nation can only legitimately take up the sword ‘in self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2308). That is, to be a just war it must be a defense against another who actively wages war, which is what the Holy Father actually said: ‘He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.’
“When Pope Leo XIV speaks as supreme pastor of the universal Church, he is not merely offering opinions on theology, he is preaching the Gospel and exercising his ministry as the Vicar of Christ. The consistent teaching of the Church is insistent that all people of good will must pray and work toward lasting peace while avoiding the evils and injustices that accompany all wars.”
More US bishops spoke out on the issue and defended the pope:
Many more bishops have joined their voices as Trump has not only rejected the request from Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, a member of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, to apologize to Pope Leo, but also has continued his diatribes against the pope over social media.
“I stand in solidarity with the Holy Father as he speaks out against war and speaks truth about the gospel with the mission to bring people closer to God,” said Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre of Louisville, Kentucky, in his April 13 statement.
“As the Vicar of Christ, Pope Leo XIV will continue to advocate for peace, spread the message of hope, and pray for a conversion of hearts,” he said.
“Pope Leo’s role is pastoral, not political,” Archbishop James R. Golka of Denver affirmed in an April 13 statement, emphasizing that Trump’s language toward the pope “fails to reflect the respect owed to the Successor of Peter and does not serve the common good.”
The pope’s “words throughout these early months of his pontificate all cry out the same urgent appeal: lay down weapons, choose dialogue, protect innocent life,” said Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer of Atlanta in an April 13 message published by that archdiocese’s newspaper, The Georgia Bulletin.
Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland, Oregon, said in an April 14 Facebook post that Trump’s disparagement of Pope Leo as “weak and “very liberal” was “misguided.”
The White House, meanwhile, yanked $11 million from a Catholic Charities program supporting migrant children:
The Trump administration has reportedly canceled an $11 million contract with the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, which offers shelter and care to migrant children entering the United States alone.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has paid Catholic Charities for numerous years to house immigrant children entering the U.S. without adult supervision. The federal government contacted the charity about the cancellation in late March, according to The Miami Herald.
The HHS said that the cancellation was motivated by a falling number of migrant children entering the country without parents or adult supervisors…
…The abrupt severing of the White House’s long-term support to the nonprofit comes amid an ongoing feud between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV. Responding to Leo’s repeated criticism of the Iran war, Trump bashed the pope on Sunday in a social media post in which he called him “weak” on crime and “terrible” for foreign policy, urging him to “get his act together as Pope.”
Newsweek contacted the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami and HHS for comment by email on Thursday morning.
Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who recently defended the pontiff in his spar with Trump saying that “he doesn’t have to please anybody except the Lord,”commented on the contract cancellation in a statement shared with the Miami Herald.
“The U.S. government has abruptly decided to end more than 60 years of relationship with Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Miami,” he said. “The Archdiocese of Miami’s services for unaccompanied minors have been recognized for their excellence and have served as a model for other agencies throughout the country.”
Meanwhile, the Holy Father had these words of peace to proclaim Thursday in Cameroon:
In his speech in St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Pope Leo loudly and passionately said, “I am here to proclaim peace,” to an enthusiastic reaction in the crowd.
The pope also had strong words of denunciation for those who perpetuate war. “The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild,” the pope said. “They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found.”
Pope Leo strongly denounced those who “rob your land of its resources generally invest much of the profit in weapons, thus perpetuating an endless cycle of destabilization and death.”
“The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters,” he underlined.
And there was this:
Blessed are the peacemakers! But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic or political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth. Yes, my dear sisters and brothers, you who hunger and thirst for justice, who are poor, merciful, meek, and pure of heart, you who have wept — you are the light of the world! (cf. Mt 5:3-14).
