US Cardinal: War in Iran morally illegitimate. Not in our name.

Cardinal Robert McElroy

Source: Vatican Media, Archdiocese of Washington DC

During his Vigil Mass for Peace, on Saturday evening, at the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle in Washington, Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington DC, said that under Catholic just war principles, the initiation of the war in Iran and any continuation of it is "morally illegitimate". He called on faithful to "pray that the ceasefire holds and that it leads to a substantive foundation for the emergence of peace in the Middle East."

"We desperately ask our God, the Prince of Peace, to open the minds and hearts of all those in positions of power to look beyond their own interests and see in its fullness the well-being of all those ensnared in this bitter and needless conflict," the Cardinal said.

Hours earlier in Rome, Pope Leo led his Prayer Vigil for Peace in the World.

In his reflection, the Pope appealed to leaders of nations to stop and sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, "not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided!" He also insisted that the Church will always advance in calling for peace "even when rejecting the logic of war may lead to misunderstanding and scorn," and will always instil "obedience to God rather than any human authority."

Welcoming the Pope's invitation, the Cardinal held a Mass for peace and began his homily by reflecting on the peace the Lord brings us through His Resurrection, which offers "the only essential compass that we need for our lives on this Earth," as well as a responsibility as disciples of the Lord "to be peacemakers in the world in which we live."

We are called, first and foremost, to be builders of peace within our own hearts and souls, in our families, and among nations.

He said this last responsibility of being builders of peace among nations, "rejecting the pathway of war that lures us toward the ending of civilizations and the pursuit of domination rather than true peace" is what now weighs most heavily upon us.

"For we are in the midst of an immoral war. We entered this war not out of necessity but rather out of choice. We failed to ardently pursue the pathway of negotiation to its end before turning to war."

He said we had no clear intention, but were instead darting from unconditional surrender to regime change to the degradation of conventional weapons to the removal of nuclear materials.

"And we blinded ourselves to the cascade of global destructiveness that would likely flow from our attacks - the expansion of the war far beyond Iran, the disruption of the world economy, and the loss of life.

"Each of these policy failures equally a moral failure which under Catholic just war principles renders both the initiation of this war and any continuation of it morally illegitimate."

He recalled Pope Leo's insistence that the only pathway Catholic teaching allows at this moment is the permanent cessation of hostilities and vigorous steps to build up the conditions for a lasting peace.

As the Holy Father points out, Cardinal McElroy continued, the conversion of hearts and souls is the only true pathway to just and lasting peace, a conversion that casts aside our weapons and begins with reconciliation first.

The Archbishop of Washington stressed the importance of their gathering in prayer.

"We pray that the ceasefire holds and that it leads to a substantive foundation for the emergence of peace in the Middle East. We are aware of the barbaric nature of the Iranian regime and the enormous destruction US and Israeli bombing has visited on Iran."

Cardinal McElroy said we must pray even harder. "We desperately ask our God, the Prince of Peace, to open the minds and hearts of all those in positions of power to look beyond their own interests and see in its fullness the well-being of all those ensnared in this bitter and needless conflict."

He told those present that as they leave the church this night, they must move beyond prayer.

"As citizens and believers in this democracy that we cherish so deeply, we must advocate for peace with our representatives and leaders. It is not enough to say we have prayed. We must also act. For it is very possible that the negotiations will fail because of recalcitrance on one or both sides, and our president will move to reenter this immoral war."

"At that critical juncture, as disciples of Jesus Christ called to be peacemakers in the world," Cardinal McElroy concluded, "we must answer vocally and in unison: No. Not in our name. Not at this moment. Not with our country."