WASHINGTON – In light of recent public comments regarding the Catholic Church’s teaching on war and peace, Bishop James Massa, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, issued the following statement:

“For over a thousand years, the Catholic Church has taught just war theory and it is that long tradition the Holy Father carefully references in his comments on war. A constant tenet of that thousand-year tradition is a nation can only legitimately take up the sword ‘in self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2308). That is, to be a just war it must be a defense against another who actively wages war, which is what the Holy Father actually said: ‘He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.’

“When Pope Leo XIV speaks as supreme pastor of the universal Church, he is not merely offering opinions on theology, he is preaching the Gospel and exercising his ministry as the Vicar of Christ. The consistent teaching of the Church is insistent that all people of good will must pray and work toward lasting peace while avoiding the evils and injustices that accompany all wars.”

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ANNABA, Algeria (CNS) -- In a country marred by hardship, deep faith and hard-won independence, Pope Leo XIV pointed to Algeria as a living witness to what he called the Church's "guiding principle above all," a charity that transcends power, binds community and makes peace. 

Throughout the first leg of his 11-day trip across Africa, the pope returned again and again to one idea: peace comes not through power or dominance, but through a sacrificial love, exemplified in Christ. 

In the Basilica of St. Augustine, his spiritual father, Pope Leo presented the Christians of Algeria as an example of this aspect of the Church’s mission, asking that they remain a humble and faithful sign of Christ's love.

"Your presence in this country is like incense: a glowing grain that spreads fragrance because it gives glory to the Lord and joy and comfort to so many brothers and sisters," he said during his final Mass in the country April 14. 

In his homily, he described a Church of charity, "where there is despair, she kindles hope, where there is misery, she brings dignity, and where there is conflict, she brings reconciliation."

"Therefore, in the face of poverty and oppression, the guiding principle above all for Christians is charity: let us do to those around us, as we would have them do to us," the pope said. "On the contrary, faith in the one God, Lord of heaven and earth, unites people according to perfect justice, which calls everyone to charity -- that is, to love every creature with the love that God gives us in Christ."

In his April 13 address to  Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and the diplomatic corps, he pointed out that Algerians practice "sadaka" (meaning almsgiving and justice) "even for those of limited means," and how their "spirit of solidarity, hospitality and community is woven into the daily lives of millions of humble and upright people."

After being a French colony for more than 130 years, Algeria sought independence in 1954, sparking a war that left an estimated 1.5 million people dead. 

The pope highlighted Algeria's solidarity despite its years of hardship and conflict. He positioned Algeria as a teacher to economically wealthier countries, reframing what development means.

"Indeed, a religion without mercy and a society without solidarity are a scandal in God’s eyes," Pope Leo said. "Yet many societies that consider themselves advanced are plunging ever deeper into inequality and exclusion. Africa knows all too well that people and organizations that dominate others destroy the world, which the Most High has created in order that we might all live together."

During his address April 13 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, he spoke again on selfless love, saying the Church's work with disabled children shows how charity transcends "material help" and creates "an authentic community, where many people share moments of joy and sorrow, united by bonds of trust, friendship and fellowship." 

He furthered this message when speaking at a nursing home run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, mirroring his repeated message that this sentiment is what builds the kingdom of God.

"Our Father's heart is not with the wicked, the arrogant or the proud," the pope said April 14. "God's heart is with the little ones and the humble, and with them he builds up his kingdom of love and peace, day by day, just as you are striving to do here in your daily service, friendship and life together."

It is precisely through charity that the pope said one performs acts of martyrdom, regardless of one's religion.

"After all, it is precisely love for their brothers and sisters that inspired the witness of the martyrs we have commemorated," he said in the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa. "In the face of hatred and violence, they remained faithful to charity even to the point of sacrificing themselves alongside many other men and women, Christians and Muslims."

Throughout his two-day sojourn in Algeria, he spotlighted the selflessness of martyrs. Pope Leo’s first stop April 13 was the Maqam Echahid Martyrs' Monument, which commemorates those who died during the Algerian War. 

"Our presence here at this monument pays tribute to this history of Algeria and to the very spirit of a people who fought for the independence, dignity and sovereignty of this nation," he said. 

In the beginning of his speech to the diplomatic corps, he recalled the 19 religious men and women who were martyred during the Algerian War. 

By expressing this charitable love, the faithful find the ability to forgive and reconcile, ultimately leading to peace – Pope Leo’s biggest priority at the moment. 

For months, Pope Leo has been relentlessly consistent on his call for peace, particularly following the conflict in the Middle East. Pope Leo presented peace not as a vague ideal, but as a moral calling, rooted in human fraternity, justice and humility. 

 To a country overwhelmingly Muslim -- an estimated 99% identify as Sunni Islam -- he emphasized that Algerians and Christians alike are brothers and sisters because they share “the same Father in heaven.”

"In a world full of conflicts and misunderstandings, let us meet and strive for mutual understanding, recognizing that we are all one family!" he said to the diplomatic corps April 13. "Today, the simplicity of this awareness is the key to opening many doors that are closed."

From the start of his visit, he framed himself as “a pilgrim of peace." The pope said the world cannot continue to "add resentment upon resentment, generation after generation."

"In this place, let us remember that God desires peace for every nation: a peace that is not merely an absence of conflict, but one that is an expression of justice and dignity," he said at the monument. "This peace, which allows us to face the future with a reconciled spirit, is possible only through forgiveness."

 

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM ALGERIA TO CAMEROON (CNS) -- Following three days of public attacks from U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, Pope Leo XIV did not take questions from reporters in an in-flight press address, redirecting attention, instead, to his international trip across Africa and his spiritual father, St. Augustine.

Heading to the second country of his trip, Cameroon, the pope told journalists in a greeting of less than three and a half minutes that he was grateful for the warm welcome by officials, the people and the “very small, but very significant presence of the Catholic Church” of Algeria. However, he spent much of his address talking about the value of the teachings of this 4th-century saint today. 

“It was a special honor for me to return to Annaba yesterday also to offer the Church and the world the vision that St. Augustine offers us in terms of that search for God and the struggle to build community, to seek for unity among all people, and respect for all peoples in spite of the differences,” he said April 15 on the papal plane. 

Highlighting his stop at the Great Mosque of Algiers, he also reiterated the value of peace. 

“I think the visit to the mosque was significant and to say that although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshipping, we have different ways of living, we can live together in peace,” he said. “I think that to promote that kind of image is something which the world needs today and that together we can continue to offer and witness as we continue in this apostolic voyage.” 

The pope began his longest international trip thus far April 13 in Algeria, during which time U.S. President Donald Trump called Pope Leo “wrong” on geopolitical issues. When Pope Leo greeted reporters on the papal flight from Rome to Algeria, he addressed the president’s remarks, saying he was not a politician, did not want to enter into a debate with the U.S. president, and would continue to speak out against war. 

Thus far, the White House has only doubled down on its condemnations of the pope’s calls for peace, particularly in the Middle East. 

Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic,  joined in, backing the president in two media appearances April 14, saying to Fox News, “it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what’s going on in the Catholic Church.”

“And let the President of the United States stick to dictating American public policy,” Vance said in the interview. 

At a Georgia college campus tour organized by conservative media group Turning Point April 14, Vance pushed back on Pope Leo’s Palm Sunday homily that God does not hear the prayers of those who make war, questioning if God was on the side of Allied forces in World War II, liberating Jewish survivors from concentration camps. 

When asked if he would apologize to the pope following Pope Leo’s comments on the papal flight, Trump replied, “No, I don’t because Pope Leo said things that are wrong.” 

Meanwhile, Pope Leo said that even though St. Augustine lived 1600 years ago, his words "have great relevance today." Speaking to Cameroon's President Paul Biya and the diplomatic corps at the presidential palace April 15, the pope said the saint believed those who rule should do so to serve the people, and they should rule "not from a love of power, but from a sense of the duty they owe others." 

"From this perspective, serving one’s country means dedicating oneself, with a clear mind and an upright conscience, to the common good of all people in the nation," he said in his first stop in Cameroon, whose president has led the country since 1982.  

He went further to state that religious traditions can help "inspire prophets of peace, justice, forgiveness and solidarity." When religious leaders are involved in mediation and reconciliation, then politics and diplomacy "can draw upon moral forces capable of easing tensions, preventing extremism and promoting a culture of mutual esteem and respect."

“The peace we experienced throughout the entire process of his illness and his death was no ordinary peace,” Virginia Pérez de Santana said. “I know it because we were enveloped by God.”

The pope shared lunch with the local Augustinian community after visiting Hippo’s ruins and a home run by the Little Sisters of the Poor.

The Algerian government has “shut down, over the course of the last nine to 10 years, almost 50 churches across the country,” Kelsey Zorzi said.

After concluding the first leg of his African apostolic journey in Algeria, Pope Leo XIV travels on Wednesday to Cameroon.

As part of an ongoing reorganization due to a priest shortage and declining numbers of churchgoers, the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, announced the parishes that will no longer hold weekend Masses.

“What is clear, is that no other state on earth is even attempting to do what the Holy See is trying to do,” Alexander John Paul Lutz, a Helsinki Commission policy fellow, testified.

Homan, a Catholic, commented after President Trump denounced Pope Leo XIV.