Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of Defense with crusader tattoos on his body, asks his fellow countrymen to “kneel and pray in the name of Jesus Christ” for a military victory in the Middle East. During a “prayer breakfast” at the Pentagon, he asks God for support against “overwhelming violence against those who do not deserve mercy.”
Pope Leo XIV, also an American, has a different opinion about violence, God and his son on earth. On Palm Sunday, the Pope warned that Jesus does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war “with blood on their hands,” but rejects them.
The two Americans represent two different traditions, writes Mathias Risse, professor of human rights, global affairs and philosophy at Harvard University in a blog. Pope Leo places himself in the so-called Catholic social teaching and universalism “The idea that certain principles, about human lives, rights and warfare, apply to everyone and everywhere, regardless of power.”
Hegseth, on the other hand, is an apostle of American exceptionalism, of a world where universal norms no longer apply and the strong do what they want. During wars, America naturally finds God on its side.
Does the Pope, as church leader, have more right to speak? Not necessarily, says American Vice President JD Vance. According to him, Pope Leo must be careful when speaking out on theological issues. Had the bishop of Rome never heard of the “more than a thousand-year-old tradition” within Christianity of the just war?
It is clear which side of the debate Gerard de Korte, bishop of Den Bosch, stands on: according to him, the Christian nationalism of Vance and Hegseth is at odds with “the Catholic vision of peace and war.”
De Korte (71) previously expressed similar words. “Extreme leaders are putting God before their war cart,” he wrote at Easter in an opinion piece for it Brabants Dagblad. He referred to Israeli and Muslim leaders who “religiously base” war. He also targeted his Orthodox colleagues. “Patriarch Kirill (leader of the Russian Orthodox Church) is an ally of the government in Moscow and supports the war (against Ukraine) with religious arguments. Unfortunately, we hear a violent Christian nationalism in him.”
“But the doctrine of just war is intended to curb war,” says Bishop De Korte. Not as an excuse to go to war. Together with the ten other bishops of the Netherlands, De Korte published in mid-April – just after Vance’s statements – a letter about peace and justice.
Where does the idea of a “just war” come from?
“That goes back to the early church. The first Christians were pacifists or were close to it. They refused to fight. That changed with the first Christian emperor Constantine (fourth century AD): since then, Christian princes came along and waged war. This posed a problem for the church: apparently there was still so much violence in the hearts of the Christians that there could still be war.”
“In the centuries that followed, theologians drew up a number of criteria that a war had to meet in order to be considered just. For example, it had to be a defensive war, where a sharp distinction is made between soldiers and civilians, and the opponent’s sources of life must not be damaged. We already find this in the Old Testament, which states that you must not destroy the meadows and orchards of opponents.”
The Americans do not seem to adhere to this. President Donald Trump threatened for the umpteenth time on Thursday to destroy bridges and power plants in Iran.
„In fact, the theory of the just war is no longer tenable today. Every war today is unjust, criteria are always violated. Just run down the list: Ukraine, Gaza, the West Bank, Sudan. In all these conflicts, the distinction between civilians and soldiers has disappeared.
Aren’t Ukrainians fighting a just war?
“Although I do not have the impression that Ukraine deliberately wants to demoralize the Russian population, civilian casualties are also increasing in Russia. Of course, Ukraine has the right to defend itself. But don’t call it a just war. Call it a necessary evil to prevent a greater evil.”
Before De Korte focused on theology, he studied history. Even after 25 years of diocese – last month he celebrated his silver jubilee – the historian in him often surfaces.
Moreover, some of the texts from the episcopal letter would not have been out of place in a report by a geopolitical think tank. According to the bishops, there is a need for “a broadly shared European perspective on security.” ‘Force in defence’ must be legitimized by multilateral organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union.
Isn’t that all a bit…earthly?
“The Catholic Church is very earthly! In the sense that it is grateful for developments in the field of European cooperation and international law. It is sometimes said about the EU itself that it is a Catholic project. If you look at the great post-war European leaders who played a role in this: Konrad Adenauer, Robert Schuman, Alcide de Gasperi: they were all Catholics.”
Bishop de Korte.
Merlin Daleman
But what is so Christian about international organizations?
“I would not call international organizations Christian themselves. But they can strengthen solidarity, and solidarity is an important principle in Catholic social teaching. We are all unique persons with our own dignity, but we are also part of a larger community. We can only be happy in connection with others.”
“That is also a Catholic idea: I am a Catholic in solidarity with other Catholics. These Catholics live in two hundred different national states with divergent interests and major economic differences. So you must always see your self-interest as part of a larger general interest. A society where only the law of the strongest applies is merciless.”
“That is also something the church has had to learn. Until at least the First World War, the church still blessed weapons. French priests did that in France and German priests in Germany, so that soldiers on either side could fight each other with them.”