Within Catholic thought, a growing emphasis can be seen on the vision of a disarming and disarmed peace, as highlighted by Pope Leo XIV in his 2026 World Day of Peace message. This perspective is rooted in the Gospel tradition of Jesus’ nonviolence and calls for a shift away from the centrality of the language of “just war”.

In the context of the conflict with Iran and other situations of war, Eli McCarthy, on an article for the National Catholic Reporter, questions the continued use of the just war paradigm, arguing that it often risks legitimising war and being easily shaped by political elites without genuinely contributing to conflict prevention.

Instead, a “just peace” approach is proposed, grounded in Active Nonviolence and effective strategies such as building broad-based social coalitions and transforming conflicts, with the aim of breaking cycles of violence and strengthening human dignity.

In this perspective, both the Church and civil society are called to foster a paradigm shift: no longer the management of war, but the concrete building of sustainable peace.

Read the full article by Eli McCarthy here

Cover picture: Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike that hit Mansouri village as it is seen from Tyre city, south Lebanon March 26, 2026. (AP/Hussein Malla)