The three U.S. Catholic cardinals currently leading a diocese have issued a rare joint statement sharply questioning the moral foundations of American foreign policy, urging national leaders to measure political decisions against principles of human dignity, solidarity, and peace articulated recently by Pope Leo XIV.
Cardinals Blase Cupich of Chicago, Robert McElroy of Washington, and Joseph Tobin of Newark released the joint statement on the heels of Pope Leo’s address to diplomats accredited to the Holy See, in which the Pope warned of the erosion of multilateral cooperation and the growing normalization of war as an instrument of policy.
“As pastors entrusted with the teaching of our people, we cannot stand by while decisions are made that condemn millions to lives trapped permanently at the edge of existence,” Cardinal Cupich said in comments on the statement, emphasizing what he described as the Pope’s “clear direction” for evaluating national conduct on the world stage .
The cardinals’ statement, titled Charting a Moral Vision of American Foreign Policy, situates current debates within a broader global context marked by armed conflict and geopolitical instability.
It references recent events in Venezuela, Ukraine, and Greenland as raising fundamental questions about sovereignty, peace, and the use of military force.
Cardinal McElroy warned against reducing foreign policy to narrowly defined national interests, arguing that such an approach undermines Catholic social teaching and threatens global stability.
“When national interest narrowly conceived excludes the moral imperative of solidarity among nations and the dignity of the human person,” he said, “it brings immense suffering to the world and a catastrophic assault on the just peace that benefits every nation.”
The statement echoes Pope Leo XIV’s concern that diplomacy based on dialogue is increasingly being replaced by diplomacy rooted in force. The cardinals cite the Pope’s warning that peace is no longer sought as a good in itself but as a byproduct of domination secured through weapons.
Beyond military conflict, the cardinals also addressed issues of life and human rights. They highlighted Pope Leo’s insistence that the right to life is foundational to all other human rights, while pointing to the moral consequences of reducing humanitarian aid and foreign assistance programs. The statement also raised alarms about growing threats to conscience rights and religious freedom worldwide.
Cardinal Tobin said recent discussions in Rome with Pope Leo and fellow cardinals reinforced the urgency of presenting a coherent moral vision for international relations. Without it, he cautioned, escalating threats could “plunge the world into incalculable suffering.”
The cardinals concluded by committing themselves to sustained preaching, teaching, and advocacy aimed at elevating the national conversation on foreign policy beyond partisan divisions and toward what they described as a genuinely just and lasting peace.