Listening Sessions
- Calendar and Registration Link: https://www.whatcomcatholic.org/sessions
- Viability Report:
- Overall: https://www.whatcomcatholic.org/reports/2026/3/30/whatcom-catholic-metric-and-viability-report
- Facilities Details: https://www.whatcomcatholic.org/reports/2026/3/26/report-whatcom-catholic-property-statuses
- Financial Details: https://www.whatcomcatholic.org/reports/2026/3/28/report-fy24-to-fy26q2-financial-overview
Iran, the Pope, and the President
A few comments on the topic dominating Catholic news these last two weeks. Much of what I have to say about Iran and the Pope can be found in my homily from last Saturday: https://moorejesus.podbean.com/e/vigil-for-peace/
Regarding the Iran bombings in general, Just War Theory becomes strained in an age of state sponsored terrorism. How much can Iran arm and fund Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthi Rebels before the attacks of those groups is seen as the instigation of war and attacking Iran’s government is a defensive response? How many citizens can be killed by their own government before a foreign government is justified in trying to defend them? I have struggled to answer these questions myself, and I have doubts about the imminence (another Just War requirement) of the threat posed by Iran. But I also believe things are muddled enough that there might not be a certain answer. My best advice is simply to pray for peace and to inform your conscience as best as you can by reading the relevant sections of the Catechism (2302 – 2317) and the Catholic Encyclopedia (“War”).
Regarding the Pope’s comments, first, I have appreciated how measured he is. As much as American media want to make everything about us, nearly every one of the Pope’s comments and homilies calling for peace have been about war in general and could be equally applied to Ukraine or Iran or Gaza. When he has spoken directly about the U.S. or Iran, it is about inexcusable statements like wiping an entire civilization off the face of the Earth. Second, priests, bishops, and even the Pope have modes in which they preach, and the Pope is clearly preaching in a prophetic mode. He is serving as the world’s prophet of peace, calling all people to desire and work for peace. I have not yet seen him use a teaching mode, where he presents a specific doctrinal analysis. Some of the criticism he is receiving, from Vice-President Vance specifically, comes from confusing these two modes.
Finally, regarding the President and his cabinet, I am not particularly shocked or offended. The President has often shown himself to turn against even former allies when they speak critically of him, and the cabinet has consistently followed the President’s lead. This is all to be expected. I am also not particularly shocked or offended at the calls for the Pope or the bishops to stay out of politics – we have seen Democratic politicians use exactly this tack for decades on the abortion issue, so why should the Republicans be any different on the issue of war? The AI images have been weird and ill-conceived (lest we forget, the first weird one was of President Trump dressed as the Pope while the conclave was ongoing), but welcome to the age of AI?
The most measured thing I can say is that, in a democratic society, it is important to have robust debate; it is important for religious leaders to speak out on important issues; and it is always fair to push back on those religious leaders. But if a President is going to push back on a Pope, it is always prudent to judge first which has the stronger public support. 😉
Editorial
Speaking of religious leaders providing commentary, I sent a letter to Cascadia Daily News about public school funding which was published on Wednesday. Lest parishioners have concerns at seeing my name in the paper, I have provided more context at https://frmoore.com/2026/04/15/editorial-on-school-funding/.
Fr. Moore 