Yes, really. You can keep reading once your eyes finish rolling in your head. That took something there is no name for. Guts? Idiocy? Who knows. He overstepped his bounds on this one. Of course, Pope Leo won’t pay any attention to him, but the fact that he did so says something about Johnson, and it’s nowhere near good. With gratitude to Raw Story:
House Speaker Mike Johnson scolded Pope Leo XIV for preaching against those who wage war. During a House Republican press conference on Wednesday, Johnson was asked about President Donald Trump’s recent attacks on the pope. “I’m not one to criticize clerics,” the speaker said. “And, you know, a pontiff or any religious leader can say anything they want. But obviously if you wade into political waters, I think you should expect some political response, and I think the pope’s received some of that.”
Political matters? Heh. There’s nothing political about war. It’s about the living and the dying for whatever small or large reason the war was started. How on earth Johnson dragged politics into a war is beyond me. The language of Christianity that I remember is in no way supportive of war. “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” It doesn’t say kill, it says love. I don’t want to get into a religious argument because that’s a personal choice, so we’ll move along.
“You know, I was taken a little bit aback, just honestly, frankly, by — something that was said, I think he said it several days back, something about those who engage in war, you know, that Jesus doesn’t hear their prayers or something,” he continued. “You know, it is a very well-settled matter of Christian theology. There’s something called the just war doctrine.
There’s a time to every purpose under heaven. I think what the president’s comments, what the vice president’s comments reflect is their understanding deep in the, you know, the SCIF and the classified briefings of the stakes that are so high in the situation that we’re facing and the fact that you had the nation that was the largest sponsor of terrorism now having had that ability taken away from them.”
So, because enquiring minds want to know, I went and looked up just war doctrine. It’s a military term, not a religious one (Denis, please correct me if I’m wrong.) Doctrine and theory were used interchangeably. Here’s what I found.
Just war theory is a doctrine of military ethics holding that war, while terrible, is sometimes morally justifiable if it meets strict criteria. It is divided into jus ad bellum (right to go to war) and jus in bello (right conduct in war). Key principles include just cause, legitimate authority, last resort, and proportionality.
That is an entirely different discussion. It’s not one I have enough knowledge to be able to present it properly.
Johnson predicted that “millions of innocent people will be able to keep their lives and not be killed by terrorists” because of Trump’s war in Iran. “I don’t want to engage in a theological debate with the pope. I certainly respect the pope. I would just say that these are matters that people of good faith and good sense can debate and think through, and I think that’s what that reflects,” he insisted.
Millions of people will keep their lives if we stop bombing them, too. It’s a matter of perspective. But beyond the just war doctrine and so forth, the point remains that Johnson scolded the pope for something he cannot adequately defend. Now, you know, and I know, that what Johnson said is not going to matter a hill of beans to Pope Leo. He is the *leader* of Catholicism. He was not chosen on a whim. And he most definitely knows what he is talking about. He can speak against the war all he wants to. You folks know I’m not religious in the slightest as far as mainstream is concerned, but I will happily listen to Pope Leo speak any time.
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Even Johnson should remember SOME of Jesus’s words:
From the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5, verses 38-42 (English Standard Version):
38 You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”
39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
And, from earlier in the chapter–part of the Beatitudes–we specifically have verse 9:
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the Sons of God.
Wow, thank you! I had only remembered part of that. Mikey obviously has no memory of it, with the possible exception for verse 38.
so little johnson, one of the most powerful (theoretically) people in tge world, second in line of succession, doesn’t have access to that classified intelligence? ’cause i’m pretty sure he’s suppised to. and second, does he think that trump, and vance, got the better of the pope? really? because however stupid he may feel it’s in his best interest to pretend to be i don’t think he actually is. he is allegedly a lawyer so trained in logic and critical thinking.
Mikey? A *lawyer*? That seems to be something beyond his capabilities. If he thinks Vance and Trump got the best of the Pope, what a rosy colored world his must be. I cannot think of a single example where *anyone* got the best of the Pope.