U.S. officials are continuing to defend ongoing military actions in the Middle East amid criticism from top Catholic leaders around the world and after media reports that the Pentagon demanded the Vatican throw its support behind its ongoing military maneuvers.<\/p>\n
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin this week stressed<\/a> the need for \u201cmore voices of peace, more voices against the madness of the rush toward rearmament\u201d after several weeks of U.S.-led strikes against Iran have reportedly resulted in thousands of casualties and have raised the specter of a sustained global war.<\/p>\n The two countries agreed to a temporary ceasefire on April 7 while negotiations play out, but the agreement has been marred by subsequent Israeli strikes in Lebanon as well as disputes over Iran\u02bcs reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route whose closure upended global markets and sent oil prices skyward.<\/p>\n Before the ceasefire, U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened the annihilation of the \u201cwhole civilization\u201d of Iran if the country failed to accept U.S. terms \u2014 a vow that drew an explicit rebuke from Pope Leo XIV<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAttacks on civilian infrastructure [are] against international law [and are] also a sign of the hatred, the division, the destruction that the human being is capable of,\u201d the pope said after Trump\u02bcs threat. \u201cWe all want to work for peace. People want peace.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cI would invite citizens of all the countries involved to contact the authorities, political leaders, congressmen, to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war,\u201d the Holy Father said. <\/p>\n U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops President Archbishop Paul Coakley also condemned the threat,<\/a> arguing on April 7 that such rhetoric \u201ccannot be morally justified.\u201d<\/p>\n Coakley at the time “call[ed] on President Trump to step back from the precipice of war and negotiate a just settlement for the sake of peace and before more lives are lost.\u201d <\/p>\n Amid rebukes from Catholic leaders around the world, U.S. leadership has celebrated both the military action and the ceasefire that came after Trump\u02bcs apparent willingness to destroy Iran, a threat that critics said pointed to the potential deaths of millions of civilians.<\/p>\n In a release on April 8<\/a> after the ceasefire was announced, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called the ongoing actions in Iran a \u201cdecisive military victory.\u201d <\/p>\n “President Trump forged this moment,” Hegseth said. “Iran begged for this ceasefire \u2014 and we all know it.\u201d<\/p>\n The terms of the ceasefire are themselves in dispute, leaving open the question of whether military action will resume before the two-week window expires. <\/p>\n Iran has argued that the Israeli strikes in Lebanon violated the agreement. The U.S. government, meanwhile, said Iran agreed to reopen the critical Hormuz Strait amid ongoing peace negotiations, but United Arab Emirates industry minister Sultan Al Jaber said on April 9<\/a> that the strait has not been fully reopened. <\/p>\n Still, U.S. officials have continued to boast of the success of the mission. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said on April 8 that coalition forces \u201cachieved the military objectives\u201d they set out to accomplish in Iran, including the destruction of much of Iran\u02bcs military forces. <\/p>\n White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt similarly called the campaign \u201ca victory for the United States of America,\u201d one that \u201cthe president and our incredible military made happen.\u201d <\/p>\n The putative victories after sharp criticism from Catholic leadership come as tensions between the U.S. and the Vatican appear to be strained. <\/p>\n\u2018A victory for the United States of America\u2019<\/h2>\n
Disputed report<\/h2>\n