Vance: “The Church has taught for centuries that there are grave circumstances in which the use of force is not only lawful, but morally necessary.”
The Vice President of the United States, JD Vance , has publicly expressed his disagreement with the recent statements by Pope León XIV on war, introducing an approach that transcends political criticism and delves into doctrinal territory. His intervention, delivered during an event at the University of Georgia, raises questions about the theological coherence of an ecclesiastical discourse that, in his view, overly simplifies the Christian tradition on the legitimate use of force.
The origin of the controversy lies in a statement by the Pontiff, who asserted that Christ’s disciples “are never on the side of those who wield the sword or launch bombs” . Although the phrase fits into a rhetorical tradition of defending peace, Vance questions its absolute formulation, considering that it eliminates essential nuances of Christian doctrine.
To illustrate his argument, the vice president turned to a concrete historical example: the D-Day landings . “Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis?” , he posed. “I firmly believe the answer is yes” . With this reference, Vance directly points to the theory of the just war , a theological construct developed from authors like St. Thomas Aquinas , which establishes conditions under which the use of force can be considered morally legitimate.
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