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| Source: oca.org |
Christ is Risen!
"Peace be with you!" (Jn. 20:19)
As Orthodox Christians, we have some real differences with the Roman Catholic Church. Simply stated, these are both ecclesiological and theological. Yet, in the recent ongoing tension between the Pope and the President - played out very publicly through interviews and social media communications - I would clearly defend the pope for injecting an authoritative "religious" voice into this debate. In a Christian spirit, the pope criticized the choice of war in Iran (which does not meet the criteria in the Roman Catholic Church for a “just war”), and in the process he exhorted all world leaders to seek peaceful resolutions to the seemingly endless conflicts engulfing the contemporary world. The pope brought a voice of sanity into an increasingly insane world.
It would be purely cynical to mistrust his sincerity in upholding the Gospel teaching that "blessed are the peacemakers." His voice represents the voice of Christ speaking to the world a word of peace and reconciliation. This is not pious or ethereal idealism. It is the Gospel proclamation of the "peace of God which surpasses all understanding" (Phil. 4:7) to a world deeply wounded by sin and death. And whatever one thinks of the papacy, the pope is clearly the most renowned universal religious figure in the world. His voice is respected.
It would also be cynical to challenge his honest claim that he is not making political pronouncements, or trying to determine any government's foreign policy. When life and death decisions are being made on a political level, profound moral and ethical issues are at the heart of these decisions. And those moral and ethical issues cannot be ignored. If they are, we can make no claims at being civilized. War means death and destruction, and beyond that, profound mistrust and open hostility against one's enemies that endure for generations. As Pope Leo recently reminded us: “Too many innocent people are being killed. Someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”
Public voices invoking the Old Testament image of a "Warrior God," or quoting Old Testament texts to the effect of vanquishing one's enemy are hardly consistent with the image of Christ in the New Testament. In fact, once the bombs start raining down, I prefer that the sacred Name of Jesus Christ remain unspoken.
Attacking the pope for his plea for peace makes no real sense, especially when accusations are made against him with no basis in reality. Such accusations go far beyond genuine disagreements. We should bear in mind that the pope is not speaking only of America's involvement in the Middle East and the current war with Iran. He is clearly speaking to such dictators as Vladimir Putin and his murderous assault on Ukraine, in which thousands of innocent Ukrainians have been and are being killed, wounded or displaced on a daily basis.
In early 2025, I defended an Episcopal bishop for challenging our administration to treat immigrants with "compassion." There was nothing wrong with that challenge, and it was not an example of a religious person meddling in politics. It also was a call to moral and ethical thinking and action. The current pope, Leo XIV, is simply doing the same thing about our war of choice with Iran and beyond. That is far more helpful than harmful.
