Columnist Cal Thomas fired his guns at Pope Leo XIV for his comments on the armed conflict going on in the Middle East and the Pope’s preference for negotiation over war (The Intelligencer, April 10, 2026). A rebuttal is in order.

First, this Pope or any Pope’s comments on a political situation are not infallible. Papal infallibility in Catholic practice is very rare and is carefully circumscribed to deal only with matters of faith and morals that can affect the eternal welfare of the faithful. Pope Leo has not claimed his views are infallible.

Second, Mr. Thomas seems to think that Pope Leo ought to take the United States government’s side in the conflict with Iran. Even though born and raised in the United States, Pope Leo is the visible head of a world-wide Church with 1,400,000,000 members, some of whom live in Iran, many more in the United States but most in other countries.

The Pope is aware of the atrocities committed by the Iranian government against its own people and its promotion of terrorism through client groups in other places. He is not taking the Iranian government’s side. He is trying to gain a hearing from both sides.

Third, Pope Leo has urged all parties, including the Iranian government, to engage in serious conversations about the basic issues while not letting missiles and bombs fly and people die. While I have no sympathy for the Iranian regime, I also note that the current US government has resorted to harsh, even violent measures against those it considers our enemies, including suspected drug transporters, immigrants in irregular situations and even US citizens.

Finally, it is always good to ask God to bless a righteous cause but one must first be sure the cause is righteous. War should be only waged as a last resort after all other efforts to avert it have failed and it should be only for defensive purposes.

It does not appear that the U.S. government has exhausted its diplomatic resources nor that Iran poses an imminent threat to our safety. This is not to say that Iran is a just and peaceful member of the world community, which it clearly is not. But other levers of influence, such as economic sanctions, can also be employed to move a reluctant adversary to change its views and plans.

As a man of Christian faith, I remember Jesus’ words: Peter, put your sword back in its sheath and his warning: Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.

Pope Leo is urging world leaders to see the wisdom of Christ’s words, something which Mr. Thomas seems to miss.

The Most Rev. Mark Brennan is the Bishop of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese.