An Open Letter to President Trump and the Administration
From a Roman Catholic Bishop
Dear Mr. President,
In the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, I write to you as a successor to the Apostles, compelled by my duty to speak the truth in charity and justice. The worsening crisis in the Middle East, from the war in Gaza to the growing regional conflicts – including U.S. military actions in Yemen – demands urgent moral reflection. As a shepherd of souls, I cannot remain silent while thousands suffer the consequences of escalating violence.
The Catholic Church upholds the sacred dignity of every human life, made in the image of God. The Catechism teaches us that “actions deliberately contrary to the law of nations and to its universal principles are crimes” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2313). This applies to all parties engaged in warfare, whether nations, militant groups, or coalitions. While a nation has the right to defend itself and protect its people, such actions must remain within the bounds of justice, proportionality, and moral law.
In Gaza, the indiscriminate killing of civilians – including women and children – has reached an intolerable scale. The people of Palestine, many of whom have no affiliation with terrorist organizations, suffer immensely. War cannot be waged without regard for the innocent. The same applies to Yemen, where U.S. military actions against the Houthis risk inflaming an already volatile situation. Each missile launched, each bomb dropped, threatens to push the region further into chaos, with untold humanitarian consequences.
The principle of just war is clear: war must be a last resort, waged only in defense, with proportional force, and never targeting civilians. It must aim not at conquest or retaliation but at restoring a just peace. Pope Pius XII warned that war often “creates more serious evils than it eliminates.” Today, as conflicts multiply across the Middle East, I fear we are seeing this tragic truth unfold before our eyes.
I urge this administration to reconsider its path. If America desires to be a force for good in the world, it must act not with unchecked military aggression but with justice, prudence, and a sincere pursuit of peace. A nation cannot claim the moral high ground while contributing to the escalation of human suffering. I call upon you to seek diplomatic solutions, to demand an immediate end to the destruction in Gaza, and to approach the crisis in Yemen with restraint, lest the fires of war consume even more innocent lives.
The United States has long been shaped by Christian principles, yet it stands at a crossroads. Will it choose the path of justice and peace, or will it allow the cycle of violence to continue unchecked? I pray that our leaders will seek the wisdom of Christ, the Prince of Peace, and work toward a just resolution that respects the dignity of all peoples.
Respectfully in Christ,
Bishop Joseph E. Strickland
Bishop Emeritus
Bishop Strickland's carefully worded plea to President Trump is quite instructive for those willing to continue to grow in Christ. I found the last paragraph to be noteworthy. "The United States has long been shaped by Christian principles, yet it stands at a crossroads." Notice the Bishop is careful not to make the common mistake of saying "America was founded as a Christian country," but rather much more accurately says we have "long been shaped by Christian principles." An explicitly Christian nation has the following of the Lord Jesus Christ and the teachings of His Church as part and parcel of its founding documents, and, by extension, its code of laws.
Catholic teaching holds that there are four sins that cry out to Heaven for vengeance: 1) willful murder; 2) sodomy; 3) oppression of the poor; 4) defrauding laborers their wages. The United States of America has all four sins codified into law: 1) willful murder in the form of abortion; 2) sodomy in the legalization of same-sex "marriage"; 3) oppression of the poor with systematically imposed economic dependency on "government services"; and 4) defrauding laborers their wages with an unjust tax code.
Bishop Strickland's entire letter to President Trump is permeated with a principles-first thought process. It is a letter meant to teach, not just to plead. Would that the Lord would send His Church more shepherds like Bishop Joseph Strickland, men who are truly concerned with the salvation of souls.
This is just silly.
Proportionality in war does not mean proportional to the attacks waged upon the state. Proportionality means in proportion to the goals of the state. In this battle against Hamas, Israel is attempting to eliminate Hamas. And to do so, they must venture into civilian areas because Hamas hides behind civilians. Israel does not indiscriminately kill civilians; they have the greatest ratio of terrorist to civilian deaths in modern urban warfare history. They are extremely precise at what they do. Any civilian death is tragic, yes, there is no doubt about that. But that is the price of war. Israel has done a phenomenal job of keeping the civilian death toll to a minimum while still carrying out their goals. Furthermore, the civilian deaths are not on Israel or the United States--they are on Hamas.