Lent is a season of self-reflection and penance for Christians, and if you happen to be a political leader carrying out a war, especially one deemed unjust by senior church leaders, Pope Leo XIV hopes you’ll use the next few weeks before Easter to examine your conscience.
Speaking to a group of priests and seminarians gathered at the Vatican to consider issues related to the sacrament of reconciliation, Leo said on March 13, “One might ask: do those Christians who bear serious responsibility in armed conflicts have the humility and courage to make a serious examination of conscience and to go to confession?”
President Donald Trump isn’t Catholic of course, but given the increasing number of casualties in Iran, not to mention the economic fallout, it’s hard not to read in Leo’s comments a subtle rebuke of the U.S. president and his aides, many of whom are Catholic.
Leo’s rhetorical question is another example of his reserved, if pointed, approach to weighing in on global issues — particularly those concerning the United States. Earlier this week, NCR Vatican correspondent Justin McLellan noted that when it comes to the ongoing war against Iran, led by the United States and Israel, Leo relies on others, including U.S. bishops, to lay out the church’s point of view.
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With thanks to the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) and Michael J. O’Loughlin, where this article originally appeared.
