Pope calls idea of 'just war' put forward by US 'outdated'

Published May 25, 2026 Updated May 25, 2026 02:45pm

Pope Leo XIV has labelled “outdated” the concept of a “just war” put forward by US President Donald Trump’s administration, warning that “humanity is slipping into a violent culture of power”, reports AFP.

“Today, more than ever, without prejudice to the right to self-defence in the strictest sense, it is important to reaffirm that the ‘just war’ theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated,” he wrote in an encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity).