U.S. Envoy Burch Disputes Pope's Iran War Judgment in 90-Minute Interview
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 9
U.S. Envoy Burch Disputes Pope's Iran War Judgment in 90-Minute Interview
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 9
Summary
Brian Burch, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, said Pope Leo XIV has not definitively declared the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran unjust, rejecting months of reporting about a clash with President Donald Trump.
In a 90-minute interview from Rome, Burch argued the Vatican "has not said, nor will they say" whether the conflict is a just war, and said the pope lacks the full facts needed for such a judgment.
Leo had spoken more directly weeks earlier on a flight to Spain, saying that in Iran "the criteria for a just war are not present," creating the gap Burch is now trying to narrow.
The dispute highlights the delicate role of Trump's envoy at the Vatican, where ceremonial diplomacy and policy defense are colliding over the first U.S.-born pope's criticism of the war.