At Washington Mass for peace, Cardinal McElroy condemns Iran war as immoral

Washington Archbishop Cardinal Robert McElroy celebrated a Mass for peace on April 11 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in response to Pope Leo XIV’s call for prayer amid ongoing global conflict.

The liturgy, livestreamed from Washington, D.C., was part of a broader global observance of Masses for peace following the pope’s appeal — first made during his Easter “urbi et orbi” blessing — for intensified prayer as tensions escalated and a fragile ceasefire emerged between the United States and Iran.

In his homily, McElroy began with the account of the Resurrection in the Gospel of John, where the Risen Christ’s first words to the disciples are: “Peace be with you.”

He said this greeting is not incidental but central to Christian belief, noting that “peace is the ultimate fruit and gift of the Resurrection: an inner conviction that Christ has conquered death once and for all.”

Peace, he added, is also a responsibility.

“For as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said, “we are called profoundly to be peacemakers in the world in which we live.”

He argued that the United States entered the current Iranian conflict by choice rather than necessity, adding that leaders had “no clear intention,” but instead moved between aims such as “unconditional surrender to regime change to the degradation of conventional weapons to the removal of nuclear materials.”

“And we blinded ourselves to the cascade of global destructiveness that would flow from our attacks,” he added, citing the “expansion of the war far beyond Iran, the disruption of the world economy, and the loss of life.”

These “policy failures,” he said, amount to a “moral failure,” as Catholic just war principles render both “the initiation of this war and any continuation of it morally illegitimate.”

He pointed to Church teaching as articulated by Pope Leo XIV, saying that “the only pathway which Catholic teaching allows at this moment is the permanent cessation of hostilities and vigorous steps to build up the conditions for a lasting peace.”

McElroy invoked the United States’ approaching 250th anniversary as a moment for national reckoning, warning against allowing division and violence to define the country’s identity.

He called on “citizens and believers in this democracy” to advocate for peace both in prayer and with elected representatives.

“For it is very possible that negations will fail because of recalcitrance on both sides,” he said, “and the president will move to reenter this immoral war.”

“At that critical juncture, as disciples of Jesus Christ called to be peacemakers in the world, we must answer vocally and in unison: No,” he said. “Not in our name. Not at this moment. Not with our country.”

The cardinal’s homily concluded to sustained applause inside the cathedral.

“Cardinal McElroy’s homily affected me very deeply,” said Timothy Rush, a participant in the Mass. “I particularly applaud the idea that prayer serves to focus our energies, but then we have to apply them and reverse this hideous descent into war by talking to our representatives and others.”

“We have to fight the desensitization that is going on that normalizes the cruelties and violence of war,” he added.

‘True strength is shown in serving life’

A longtime advocate for the Church’s just war doctrine, McElroy has frequently warned that modern conflicts often fail to meet the rigorous criteria for a morally legitimate war.

In a March 9 interview with the Catholic Standard, he said the U.S. decision to engage in war with Iran does not meet key requirements, particularly regarding “just cause,” “right intention,” and proportionality.

He emphasized that Catholic teaching rejects preventative war, noting that the U.S. was not responding to a direct or imminent threat from Iran. “You cannot satisfy the just war tradition’s criterion of right intention,” he explained, pointing to what he described as a lack of clarity surrounding U.S. objectives.

In response to Pope Leo XIV’s call for a global prayer vigil for peace, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) encouraged the faithful to join in prayer, uniting with Catholics worldwide in seeking peace and reconciliation.

Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the USCCB, made an urgent plea in an April 7 statement, writing: “Let us entrust to the Lord ‘all hearts that suffer and await the true peace that only he can give. Let us entrust ourselves to him and open our hearts to him! He is the only one who makes all things new (cf. Rev 21:5).’”

Pope Leo XIV’s message during the vigil, held at St. Peter’s Basilica on April 11, echoed these calls for peace. “Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!” he told the nearly 10,000 gathered. “True strength is shown in serving life.”

In his reflection, the pope reminded the Church of its role as a beacon of peace, calling on all people to reject the culture of war and to “unite the moral and spiritual strength of the millions and billions of men and women, young and old, who today choose to believe in peace.”

“Let us believe once again in love, moderation and good politics,” he said. “We must form ourselves and get personally involved, each following our own calling. Everyone has a place in the mosaic of peace!”

Source: https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/us/at-washington-mass-for-peace-cardinal-mcelroy-condemns-iran-war-as-immoral