Matthew Bunson, editorial director for EWTN, joined Andrew Walworth, Tom Bevan and Carl Cannon on Tuesday’s edition of the RealClearPolitics Podcast to discuss how the first American-born pope is colliding with U.S. politics and whether the war in Iran measures up to traditional Catholic “just war” standards. Bunson’s book: Leo XIV: Portrait of the First American Pope Watch: Pope Leo: War Shows The Hatred And Destruction Human Beings Are Capable Of Truth Social: President Trump: “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy!” “Pope Leo has not been more active or vigorous than previous popes,” Bunson said. “Leo is the first U.S.-born pope, so I think there’s a heightened sensitivity and awareness to almost anything he says about U.S. policy. And then, of course, there is the presence of President Trump.” “We have to deal also with the realities of sin in the world and the reality of suffering all over the world,” Bunson said. “But pre-emptive wars, from a theological standpoint, spiritual standpoint, really have to cross a very high bar, certainly from the Catholic standpoint, of being justified.” “We certainly are not privy to all of the intelligence and information that the Trump administration presumably has been,” he continued. “But is there an immediate and dire threat that has to be dealt with?” “Have you exhausted every possible way of preventing it?” he asked. “Have we truly, truly exhausted all of the negotiation options that were ahead of us? And then what is that strategy?” “To use a very technical set of terms, jus ad bellum-in other words, is it just to go to war? We’re using this old Latin phrase,” he explained. “But then there’s also jus in bello-in other words, is there justice in how a war is being conducted? Are we concerned about collateral damage? Are we concerned about civilian casualties?” “Then the question, too, is, what are the long-term objectives? You have to have very clear ends in sight,” Bunson said. “And then the question of proportionality. Is the campaign itself going to achieve its goals without actually creating bigger problems than the one you’re potentially trying to solve?” “I’m not sure all those questions have been articulated by the administration in a way that would fully answer some of the concerns that people have,” Bunson said. “And we can add too that it is an irony of our time that Pope Leo is being attacked for proposing world peace at a time when things are so polarized.”
RealClearPolitics Videos