WASHINGTON — Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the head of the Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services USA, said the U.S. military campaign in Iran does not meet the criteria of just war theory. Broglio, who serves as the leader of all Catholic chaplains in the United States armed forces, said that although Iran posed a nuclear threat, launching a war against the country amounted to compensating for a threat before it was realized.

Just war theory is a philosophical and legal framework, rooted in the theologies of Saints Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, that helps determine when starting a war is morally justifiable and how it should be conducted. The framework directs that war is a last resort, undertaken only to correct a serious wrong, and requires legitimate authority, right intent, and proportionality in the pursuit of peace.

He said that calling for prayer for military victory was problematic because Jesus preached peace and viewed war as a last resort. The remarks appeared to respond to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who asked Americans to pray daily on bended knee for a military victory in the name of Jesus Christ.

The archbishop acknowledged that people may have information that led them to think that war with Iran was the only choice they had. "The question might be, would generals or admirals have space to perhaps, say, 'Can we look at this a different way?'" he said.

He said he aligns himself with Pope Leo XIV's urging for negotiation. The pope has urged world leaders to find ways to scale back violence in the Middle East and to find an "off-ramp" in the war with Iran. Pope Leo XIV also said that the Christian mission has often been distorted by a desire for domination that is foreign to the way of Jesus Christ.

The archbishop said he counsels Catholic service members to do as little harm as possible and to try to preserve innocent lives. He noted that service members cannot file a conscientious objection to a specific war or action and can only register an objection by declaring "I'm opposed to war."