During one of his Holy Week prayers, as the conflict between the U.S. and Iran neared the end of its first month, the pope reportedly seemed to chide President Donald Trump, saying God "does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them."
"Jesus is the King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war," the pope said during Mass on Palm Sunday.
"We've seen presidents, we've seen the leaders of the Department of War, and we've seen our troops go to prayer during the most turbulent times in our nation's history," responded White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. "I don't think there's anything wrong with our military leaders or with the president calling on the American people to pray."
Dr. Richard Land of Southern Evangelical Seminary says the pope's comments are at odds with traditional Catholic teaching.
"I was very saddened to read of the pope's remarks," he tells American Family News. "It shows that he has either broken with or has little knowledge of the long Christian and Catholic tradition of just war theory."
The concept of a "just war" has been developed by many scholars throughout history to align with changing ethical standards, but St. Augustine of Hippo, a Catholic, is generally considered the primary establisher of the theological framework for Christian participation in war.
Just war theory says that a war is just if it is defensive, waged as a last resort, not against noncombatants or for conquest, but to right wrongs or restore peace and justice.
Land also points out that some of the greatest heroes in history were warriors who prayed.
"It's sad to hear the pope say that God would not hear the prayers of Franklin Roosevelt or God would not hear the prayers of Woodrow Wilson or Winston Churchill," he submits.
He reasons that if God did not hear their prayers, then He gets no credit for their victories.
Dr. Land believes Churchill and Roosevelt "would be the first to say that God was instrumental in the Allied victory," the 1945 triumph of the U.S., the U.K., the Soviet Union, and China over Germany, Japan, and Italy in World War II.
