US Catholic Leaders Question America’s ‘Moral Foundation’

America’s senior Catholic leaders are voicing concern about the direction of U.S. foreign policy, warning that its moral grounding is being weakened by an increased reliance on military power. In a joint statement, Cardinals Blase Cupich of Chicago, Robert McElroy of Washington, D.C., and Joseph Tobin of Newark said recent developments have raised serious ethical questions about how the United States exercises its influence abroad. They pointed to tensions involving Venezuela and Greenland as examples of growing flash points.

The three cardinals—currently the only U.S. cardinals leading dioceses within the country—echoed recent remarks by Pope Leo XIV, who has criticized a move away from international cooperation in favor of what he described as a “diplomacy based on force,” according to the Washington Post.

While the statement does not mention President Trump by name, the cardinals clearly situate their concerns within the context of current U.S. policies. They cite threats or use of military force, sharp reductions in humanitarian assistance, and a more transactional approach to global alliances. McElroy told the Post that war should never become a routine policy tool or a way to increase national wealth, and that humanitarian aid is a moral obligation, not an optional gesture. Under the Trump administration, foreign aid has been significantly reduced from levels that historically ranged between 0.7% and 1.4% of the federal budget.

The cardinals emphasize that they are not engaging in partisan politics but are applying core Catholic teachings to an increasingly volatile global environment. They warn that meaningful debate over foreign policy is being drowned out by polarization and narrow political interests. “Many cardinals spoke to us with alarm about positions the U.S. was taking in international affairs,” McElroy said. Referencing situations such as Venezuela and Greenland, they stressed that “military action must be seen only as a last resort in extreme situations, not a normal instrument of national policy,” as reported by the New York Times.

Observers at the Vatican say Pope Leo XIV is seeking to position the Holy See as a moral counterbalance to the administration’s foreign policy vision, promoting multilateral cooperation and restraint in the use of force while avoiding direct personal criticism. Some analysts note that his critiques of U.S. policy are harder to dismiss as reflexively anti-American, given that he is a native of Chicago.

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