EWTN News portal (April 9, 2026) reports that U.S. officials continue to defend military actions in Iran amid criticism from top Catholic leaders, including “Pope Leo XIV” and “Cardinal Pietro Parolin.” The article details U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s celebration of a “decisive military victory” in Iran, General Dan Caine’s claim that coalition forces “achieved the military objectives,” and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s declaration of “a victory for the United States of America.” It also covers a disputed report that the Pentagon summoned then-Apostolic Nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre in January to demand Vatican support for U.S. military actions, which the Department of Defense denied as “highly exaggerated and distorted.” The article further notes “Pope Leo XIV’s” rebuke of President Donald Trump’s threat to annihilate Iran’s “whole civilization,” and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops President Archbishop Paul Coakley’s condemnation of such rhetoric. This article exposes the conciliar sect’s continued failure to uphold the Church’s immutable teaching on the immorality of aggressive war and the absolute primacy of God’s law over secular power, instead offering a tepid, naturalistic “peace” rhetoric that lacks any supernatural foundation or call to repentance.
The Reign of Christ the King vs. the Triumphalism of Caesar
The actions of the United States government in its recent military aggression against Iran, as reported by EWTN News, stand in stark and damning contrast to the perennial Catholic teaching on the immorality of unjust war and the absolute sovereignty of Our Lord Jesus Christ over all nations. While the U.S. celebrates a “decisive military victory” and boasts of “achieved military objectives” through the reported killing of thousands, the conciliar structures, even when offering a semblance of “criticism,” fundamentally fail to articulate the Church’s true doctrine. This failure is not accidental but symptomatic of the profound theological and spiritual bankruptcy that has gripped the abomination of desolation since 1958.
Pius XI, in his encyclical *Quas Primas*, unequivocally declared: “His reign, namely, extends not only to Catholic nations or to those who, by receiving baptism according to law, belong to the Church, even though their erroneous opinions have led them astray or discord has separated them from love, but His reign encompasses also all non-Christians, so that most truly the entire human race is subject to the authority of Jesus Christ.” Furthermore, he stated: “Let rulers of states therefore not refuse public veneration and obedience to the reigning Christ, but let them fulfill this duty themselves and with their people, if they wish to maintain their authority inviolate and contribute to the increase of their homeland’s happiness.” The U.S. government, by its own admission, has acted with brute force, threatening “annihilation” and causing “thousands of casualties,” directly violating the divine law and the natural law that Christ the King embodies. Its actions are a public repudiation of Christ’s sovereignty, a declaration that might makes right, and that secular power is not subject to the moral law of God.
The Conciliar Sect’s Tepid “Peace” and its Naturalistic Foundation
The response of the conciliar leadership, even when critical, reveals its inherent modernist and naturalistic bent. “Pope Leo XIV” and “Cardinal Parolin” are quoted as calling for “more voices of peace” and “more voices against the madness of the rush toward rearmament.” While these sentiments might appear outwardly benign, they lack the supernatural urgency and doctrinal clarity demanded by the Church’s magisterium. There is no mention of the primary cause of war: sin, and specifically, the rejection of Christ the King and His law. There is no call for public repentance, no demand for the conversion of nations to the true faith, no insistence on the application of Catholic principles to international relations. Instead, their “peace” is a purely naturalistic concept, akin to the “peace” of the United Nations or any secular humanist organization, devoid of any reference to the supernatural order or the necessity of the Church’s guidance.
“Pope Leo XIV” states: “Attacks on civilian infrastructure [are] against international law [and are] also a sign of the hatred, the division, the destruction that the human beign is capable of.” While true, this statement is woefully incomplete. It fails to identify the ultimate source of this hatred and destruction: the rejection of God and His law. It reduces a profound theological and moral issue to a mere violation of “international law,” a human construct that can be manipulated and ignored by powerful nations. The true “peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ” (Pius XI, *Quas Primas*) is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice and order under God’s law. The conciliar sect’s silence on this fundamental truth renders its “peace” rhetoric hollow and ineffective, a mere echo of secular pacifism rather than a proclamation of the Gospel.
The Peril of “Dialogue” with the Synagogue of Satan
The article highlights a disputed report that the Pentagon summoned then-Apostolic Nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre to demand Vatican support for U.S. military actions. While the Department of Defense denied the report as “highly exaggerated and distorted,” the U.S. nunciature confirmed the meeting, stating that Pierre “discussed current affairs” with U.S. officials. This incident, regardless of its precise details, underscores the dangerous path of “dialogue” and “engagement” that the conciliar sect has embarked upon with secular powers, even those engaged in acts of aggression and injustice.
The Church has always taught that her mission is to teach, govern, and lead all to eternal happiness, and that she cannot depend on anyone’s will (Pius XI, *Quas Primas*). “Dialogue” with a government that boasts of “decisive military victory” and threatens “annihilation” of a civilization, without a clear and unequivocal condemnation of such actions as morally repugnant and contrary to God’s law, is a betrayal of her prophetic role. It transforms the Church from a beacon of truth into a mere diplomatic player, seeking “mutual concern” with those who actively wage unjust war. This is precisely the “reconciliation with progress, liberalism and modern civilization” condemned by Pius IX in the *Syllabus of Errors* (Proposition 80). The Church’s role is not to be a “partner” in the world’s schemes, but to stand as a witness to the truth, even if it means confronting the mighty of this world with the full weight of her divine authority.
The Absence of True Justice and the Call to Repentance
The U.S. government’s justification for its actions – that Iran represents a threat to global peace and violates laws – is a classic example of *jus ad bellum* arguments used throughout history to justify aggression. However, from the perspective of integral Catholic faith, a war can only be just if it meets stringent criteria, including a just chance of success, proportionality, and last resort. The reported “thousands of casualties” and the threat of “annihilation” clearly violate the principles of proportionality and the protection of non-combatants. The Church’s role in such circumstances is not to offer tepid calls for “peace” but to pronounce a clear judgment based on the immutable principles of the natural law and divine revelation.
Archbishop Paul Coakley, as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, “condemned the threat” and “call[ed] on President Trump to step back from the precipice of war and negotiate a just settlement.” While a step in the right direction, this statement still lacks the full force of Catholic teaching. It does not explicitly declare the war unjust, nor does it call for public repentance for the sins of the nation. It frames the issue as a political problem requiring a “settlement,” rather than a spiritual crisis demanding conversion. The true Church would unequivocally state that such aggression is a mortal sin, a violation of the Fifth Commandment, and a public insult to Christ the King. She would demand not just a ceasefire, but a complete cessation of hostilities, reparations for the victims, and a public acknowledgment of guilt and a turning back to God.
The “Bishops” of the Conciliar Sect: Shepherds of the World, Not of Christ
The actions and pronouncements of the conciliar “bishops” and “popes” in this context reveal their true character. They are not successors of the Apostles, who fearlessly proclaimed the truth to kings and emperors, but rather “bishops” of a church that has accommodated itself to the spirit of the age. Their “criticism” is often a calculated move to maintain relevance and avoid direct confrontation, rather than a courageous stand for truth. They speak of “peace” without defining it in terms of Christ’s Kingdom; they speak of “justice” without reference to divine law; they speak of “dialogue” without demanding conversion.
The *Syllabus of Errors* of Pius IX explicitly condemns the idea that “The Roman Pontiff can, and ought to, reconcile himself, and come to terms with progress, liberalism and modern civilization” (Proposition 80). The conciliar sect, by its very existence and its modus operandi, embodies this condemned proposition. Its engagement with the U.S. government, even in the face of such egregious actions, demonstrates its fundamental departure from the Church’s mission to be a sign of contradiction, a beacon of truth in a world shrouded in darkness.
The Duty of the Faithful: Rejection and Resistance
In the face of such systemic apostasy, the duty of the faithful who profess the integral Catholic faith is clear: to reject the authority of these usurpers and their modernist innovations. The conciliar sect, by its silence on fundamental truths, its naturalistic approach to morality, and its accommodation with the world, has forfeited its claim to be the true Church of Christ. Its “popes,” “cardinals,” and “bishops” are not the legitimate successors of Peter and the Apostles, but rather instruments of a new religion, a “Church of the New Advent” that is antithetical to the faith of our fathers.
The faithful must cling to the immutable Tradition, to the true Mass, to the true sacraments administered by validly ordained priests who have not succumbed to the errors of Modernism. They must pray for the true Church’s restoration, for the conversion of nations, and for the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, not through the false promises of the Fatima operation, but through a return to the fullness of Catholic truth and practice. They must be prepared to suffer persecution for the truth, knowing that “the gates of hell shall not prevail” (Matt. 16:18) against the true Church, even if it appears to be hidden and persecuted in these latter times.
The U.S. government’s actions in Iran are a stark reminder of the consequences of a world that has rejected Christ the King. The conciliar sect’s inadequate response is a further testament to its spiritual bankruptcy. The path forward for the faithful is not through “dialogue” with such structures, but through an unwavering commitment to the integral Catholic faith, a faith that dares to call sin sin, and to demand that all nations and peoples submit to the sweet yoke of Christ the King.
Source:
U.S. officials continue to defend Iranian conflict amid criticism from top Catholic leaders (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 09.04.2026