One annoying thing I sometimes hear people say is that all religions are really the same. There may be a modicum of truth in that somewhere, but if there is, it’s not about there being a God, for Buddhism doesn’t have one and Hinduism has many, or about an afterlife for immortal souls—about which Judaism is skeptical--or about any other religious belief you may think of, all of which vary throughout our world’s religions. The “sameness” of religions seems to me to be that every religion is a path chosen by its faithful because it helps them understand themselves, their purpose for being alive, and how to live because of that understanding.
A religious person also is different than a “spiritual” person, because a religion is communal. Each religion has history and tradition and rituals that communicate a kind of spiritual wisdom that speaks to the heart of its believers. That’s why we choose it and choose to stay in it. Sometimes you can see this most clearly in people who “convert” after a heart search, like Vice President JD Vance. He wrote about his choice of Catholicism in his recent book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith. Vice President Vance was especially attracted by the long tradition of moral teaching within Catholicism, a point of focus and stability within the chaotic individualism of US culture.
But we US Catholics struggle to listen deeply and internalize that moral teaching when it puts us in conflict with our national identity and political preferences. We’re going through that now over the question of peace and war.
There are two parallel conversations about this happening within the US Catholic Church. The first conversation is about what is called the “just war” teaching or doctrine. The conversation is about whether this teaching is still able to guide us in this age of multiple undeclared military conflicts. But first, what is the “just war” teaching?
Before the Christian era, there already were ideas that limited war to defensive actions, only, and insisted that armed conflict must be authorized by a recognized authority. St. Augustine (d. 430), who was deeply learned in Greek and Roman philosophy, drew from that knowledge and crafted statements that became Catholic “just war” doctrine. Before going to war, there must be (1) a just cause, such as self-defense; (2) a declaration of war by proper authority; (3) right intention—meaning the intent to restore peace or justice; (4) a last resort after all peaceful alternatives were exhausted; (5) reasonable chance of success; and (6) proportionality—the good must outweigh expected harm (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2309). This teaching has been a jewel of Catholic morality since Augustine’s time, and a version of it is taught in all our nation’s military academies.
Now, however, some people including some Catholics, say that only governments can determine whether the moral requirements of just war teaching are met in a given situation. Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington D.C., refutes this by saying that “those who have responsibility for the common good in matters of war extend far beyond the President,” and include, among others, religious and cultural leaders (America Magazine, June 2026, p31). I think the Cardinal should have expanded that idea. The “common good,” also a key Catholic doctrine, is part of the “natural law,” God-given intuitive moral understanding within individual consciences from birth. We learn and understand moral principles more deeply as we grow, and we are obliged to follow our consciences as the first principle of moral decision making.
We cannot absolve ourselves from that obligation by letting elected politicians, or any other person, decide for us whether a violent action is justified for the common good. Furthermore, as people committed to walking the path to holiness with our Catholic Church community, part of forming our consciences is listening to the voices of our Popes. They speak from the wisdom of our tradition and with special guidance of the Spirit, we believe. Since the dawn of atomic weapons, all our Popes have taught that war is virtually impossible to justify as a moral act that supports the common good. We add their wisdom to our other knowledge as we prayerfully discern and then judge for ourselves whether a military action is “just.”
So, the first conversation going on in our Church about war is about the just war theory itself, and how it applies to the US conflict with Iran. But that is the wrong question to start from, says Cardinal Blasé Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago (America Magazine, July/August 2026, pp 10-11). The first question, he says, is what the Gospel demands of us as we hear Jesus say, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” He cites Pope Francis, who called peace-building a “craft” that demands serenity, creativity, sensitivity, and skill (Gaudete et Exsultate #89). Peace is a task, Cardinal Cupich says, one flowing from Jesus’ command: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you (Lk 6:37).
Most of us are not too great at this craft or task. A little anecdote here: A now deceased priest friend of mine pastored a large parish. Frequently when he vested for daily Mass, an irascible parishioner would distract him with one criticism or complaint after another, ruining his prayerful preparation. Finally, one day my priest friend turned to the man, put his hands on his shoulders, and said: “Joe, don’t you know that no matter what you say to me, I won’t stop loving you?” Love disarms anger.
The Gospel can feel impractical in a time of war, Cardinal Cupich continues, because “it does not start by asking if violence can be justified. It starts by asking who we are becoming in the face of it.” It asks us about love.
We are preparing now to vote in the upcoming congressional elections. The tenants of just war theory are important, and we need to enter into that conversation in all its complexity. It does indeed matter what the candidates we will vote for say about the Iran conflict. But as Cardinal Cupich points out, we also need to ask ourselves the prior question: Who are we US people becoming in face of this latest conflict, named Epic Fury? And because wars now routinely overflow national boundaries, we need to ask: what must change in our government, so that what the US does in our world leads to enduring world peace instead of seemingly unending conflict? Perhaps can our parishes and dioceses help us discern what to think, feel, and do about this fraught spiritual and political question.
Sister Mary Garascia, PhD (Theology), is a member of the Sisters of the Precious Blood of Dayton, Ohio, where she now resides. She formerly lived and ministered at The Holy Name of Jesus in Redlands. You can follow her weekly Sunday scripture blogs at PreciousBloodSistersDayton.org.