Has the Time Come to Move Beyond “Just War”?

29 June 2026

Has the Time Come to Move Beyond “Just War”? 

Jessica Dewhurst

As wars continue to devastate communities across the globe - from Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo to countless forgotten conflicts that rarely make the headlines - the Catholic Church has begun asking a question that may shape its witness for generations to come: Has the time come to move beyond the Just War Theory?

This question formed part of the discussions during the Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals held in Rome in June, where Pope Leo XIV gathered the College of Cardinals to reflect on the future of the Church and its response to the realities of our world.

For centuries, the Church has recognised what is known as the Just War tradition. It was never intended to encourage war. Rather, it sought to place strict moral limits on when military force could ever be considered permissible. War was viewed as an absolute last resort, subject to rigorous conditions intended to protect human life and prevent unnecessary suffering.

Yet Pope Leo XIV has challenged the Church to ask whether that framework is still adequate in today’s world.

Modern warfare bears little resemblance to the conflicts in which the Just War tradition first developed. Today’s wars involve drones, artificial intelligence, cyber warfare, autonomous weapons and missiles capable of devastating entire cities. Civilians increasingly bear the greatest burden of conflict. Entire generations are growing up knowing only displacement, fear and loss.

In his recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo described the Just War Theory as “outdated,” arguing that it has too often been used to justify conflict rather than prevent it. Instead, he calls the Church to become an ever-stronger witness to peace, dialogue, reconciliation, and active nonviolence.

For those of us committed to justice and human dignity, this conversation could not be more important.

Throughout history, governments have often presented wars as acts of liberation, defence or protection. Sometimes those reasons have been genuine. Yet many other times, history has shown that political influence, economic interests, access to natural resources or the pursuit of power have often been the driving forces behind decisions to wage war.

As Christians, we have a responsibility to ask difficult questions whenever violence is proposed. Are we truly protecting people? Or are there other interests at work? History teaches us that wars are rarely as simple as they are presented to the public.

Perhaps this is where we, as Presentation people, must be brave enough to ask an even deeper question: Can war ever truly be justified?

There may indeed be moments when people must be protected. There may be circumstances where innocent communities require immediate defence and where peacekeepers or other forces are needed to stand between vulnerable people and violence. The protection of life is both good and necessary.

But that is not the same as declaring war.

It is not the same as bombing cities.

It is not the same as destroying homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship.

It is not the same as accepting the deaths of thousands of civilians as an inevitable consequence of political decisions.

As people of faith, we should never become comfortable with destruction.

We should never allow nationalism, ideology, fear or even religion itself to become an excuse for violence. Too often throughout history, faith has been invoked to bless wars rather than challenge them. Religious language has sometimes been used to soften the horror of conflict instead of reminding us of the sacredness of every human life.

Surely our faith should do the opposite.

Our faith should make war unbearable to us.

As followers of Nano Nagle, we believe that every person is created in the image and likeness of God. Every life possesses infinite dignity. Every child killed, every parent lost, every refugee displaced, every community destroyed represents not merely another casualty of war, but a beloved child of God.

The Gospel never commands us to choose between lives. It calls us to defend life itself.

This does not mean we ignore evil. It does not mean we stand by while innocent people are attacked. Rather, it challenges us to ask whether our response always protects life rather than perpetuating cycles of violence.

Pope Leo’s invitation is not simply to rethink a theological theory. It is to recover the heart of the Gospel. Perhaps the question should no longer be, “When is war justified?”

Perhaps the better question is, “How do we build a world where war is no longer seen as the answer?”

For the International Presentation Association, this conversation resonates deeply with our mission. Around the world, Presentation people accompany communities affected by conflict, poverty, injustice and displacement. We know that lasting peace cannot be achieved through greater violence. It is built through justice, dialogue, education, human rights, compassion and the unwavering belief that every person’s dignity matters.

The words spoken in Rome should not remain within the walls of the Vatican. They should echo through our schools, our communities, our ministries, our advocacy at the United Nations and our daily lives. Because if we truly believe that every human being bears the image of God, then the death of any person should grieve us all.

Let us never become people who merely ask whether war is justified. Let us become people who make peace possible. That, surely, is the legacy of Nano Nagle. And perhaps it is the Gospel’s greatest invitation to us all.