Leo XIV says "no such thing as a holy war," drawing Catholic just war critique

Pope Leo XIV said there is "no such thing as a holy war" in his World Day of Prayer for Peace message, following earlier statements that Christ rejects war and does not hear the prayers of those who wage it. A traditionalist Catholic analysis argues this contradicts Scripture and centuries of just war teaching, and it frames the remarks against the US-Israeli war on Iran. The dispute shows a leading religious voice moving toward a peace-first message that treats religious justification of conflict as illegitimate, a theme worth watching as faith claims are increasingly blamed for war.