INBOX INSPIRATIONS
April 15, 2026
Pope Leo
Dear Friends,
Pope Leo called for this past Saturday, April 11, to be a vigil for peace. He asked all of us to pray for peace in the world, especially but not only in view of our own country’s present war with Iran.
Over the last month, he has spoken about the morality of warfare – what is required for a war to be moral. On Easter Sunday, Pope Leo said: “I am asking all people of goodwill to always search for peace and not for violence, to reject war, especially a war which many people have said is unjust...Today, there has also been the threat against the entire people of Iran. And this is truly unacceptable. There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more, it is a moral question concerning the good of the people as a whole…I would invite all citizens of all the countries to contact the authorities…to ask them, to tell them to work for peace and reject war and violence.”
As I write this, today, April 13, Pope Leo said: “I do not look at my role as being political, a politician. Too many people are suffering in the world today, too many innocent people are being killed, and someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.” He continued: “The message of the gospel is very clear, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.’ I will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel. I am inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges of peace and reconciliation, of looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible.”
So, let’s be very clear. It is not being political to talk about public policy issues that have a clear moral dimension. There is morality involved here. Pope Leo is not engaging in politics. He is teaching morality. I greatly respect his clarity, consistency, and courage on this. He is exhibiting real strength. He is speaking from our Catholic moral tradition – our respect life belief and our Just War Teaching. I urge all of us to reflect on his words and allow them to form our conscience on issues of warfare, including the present war against Iran.
Given the present circumstances, next week I will begin a brief series on our Catholic Just War Teaching.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
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