Pope Leo XIV says "just war theory" is over - Aleteia
aleteia.org
Pope Leo XIV just declared a 1,600-year-old moral framework obsolete — and his reasoning reveals why modern warfare may have finally broken Just War Theory for good.
Just War TheoryMoral PhilosophyPacifismNatural Law Theory
Theory Briefing
- Augustine built Just War Theory to reconcile Christian pacifism with civic duty — Pope Leo XIV now says that balancing act no longer holds.
- Modern warfare's indiscriminate destruction and nuclear stakes make the 'proportionality' and 'discrimination' criteria of Just War Theory practically impossible to satisfy.
- By declaring the theory over, Leo XIV signals a major shift in Catholic moral philosophy — with vast implications for how states justify armed conflict.