Two US Cardinals Condemn US-Israeli War in Iran

Pope Leo XIV calls for an end to hostilities, expressing 'deep sorrow' over deaths

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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Pope Leo XIV has called for an end to the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, issuing a muted appeal as two U.S. cardinals - Robert McElroy and Blase Cupich - have condemned the war, rejected the rationale for launching it, and criticized the way it is being portrayed as a 'video game'. The Vatican has a tradition of diplomatic neutrality, but its leadership has rejected the Trump administration's justification for the preventive attack on Iran.

Why it matters

The war in Iran has raised concerns about Lebanon falling into civil war, strains on the global oil supply, and the potential for immense casualties. The Catholic Church's criticism of the war highlights the tension between the Vatican's diplomatic neutrality and the national-religious rhetoric used to justify the conflict.

The details

Pope Leo XIV has issued a series of muted appeals for dialogue and diplomacy since the war began. While the pope has refrained from outright condemning the war, two U.S. cardinals - Robert McElroy and Blase Cupich - have strongly criticized the decision to go to war. McElroy said the U.S. and Israel failed to meet the criteria for a morally just war, while Cupich denounced the White House's portrayal of the conflict as a 'video game'. The Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has also rejected the Trump administration's justification for a preventive attack on Iran.

  • The war in Iran began in the past week.
  • On Monday, a Maronite Catholic priest, the Rev. Pierre El Raii, was killed in a bombing in southern Lebanon while trying to rescue a wounded parishioner.

The players

Pope Leo XIV

The current pope, who is calling for an end to the U.S.-Israel war in Iran and expressing deep sorrow over the deaths caused by the conflict.

Cardinal Robert McElroy

The archbishop of Washington, who said the U.S. and Israel failed to meet the criteria for a morally just war in Iran.

Cardinal Blase Cupich

The archbishop of Chicago, who denounced the White House's portrayal of the war as a 'video game'.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin

The Vatican's secretary of state, who has rejected the Trump administration's justification for a preventive attack on Iran.

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia

The Vatican's new ambassador to the United States, who will have to manage the tension between the Vatican's position and the Trump administration's stance on the war.

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What they’re saying

“Lebanon may fall into civil war. The world's oil supply is under great strain. The potential disintegration of Iran could well produce new and dangerous realities. And the possibility of immense casualties on all sides is immense. For all of these reasons, Catholic teaching leads to the conclusion that our entry into this war was not morally legitimate.”

— Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington (Diocesan newspaper)

“A real war with real death and real suffering being treated like it's a video game — it's sickening. Our government is treating the suffering of the Iranian people as a backdrop for our own entertainment, as if it's just another piece of content to be swiped through while we're waiting in line at the grocery store.”

— Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago (Statement picked up by Vatican Media)

“If states were to be recognized as having a right to 'preventive war,' according to their own criteria and without a supranational legal framework, the whole world would risk being set ablaze.”

— Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State (Vatican Media)

What’s next

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The takeaway

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