Well again, a lot identifying as Catholic do not believe "Leo" is Catholic or a pope, because this statement is contrary to Catholic teaching:

> "Jesus is the King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war" [Leo] said on Palm Sunday at the start of Holy Week.

Maybe it's out of context or a misquote but Catholics believe war can be justified (for example like the Crusades) and have developed a "just war theory" that details criteria on when war can be justified. Such wars follow from the right to individual self-defense, applied to the collective level of a government / State.

The other quote seems to say as much:

> McElroy, the author of a doctoral thesis on moral norms in US foreign policy, does not believe the war in Iran complies with Catholic teaching on a “just war,” which sets out criteria for a morally justified conflict.

It may be the case that certain wars or military conflicts do not fit just war criteria. We would expect a Catholic pope to say that then instead of "Leo's" confusing quote above.

(To be sure, Jesus does encourage peacemaking; war is thought to be a last resort for resolving conflict after peaceful means have been exhausted)

It reads like people are almost purposefully misinterpreting what he said to give themselves a basis to disagree.

This is what drives people on Twitter to write incredibly defensive posts that attempt to address every possible misinterpretation and criticism.

That type of writing is useless, because motivated people will still search for a new angle of disagreement, and the impact of the message is diluted by the time spent addressing the criticisms. Can you imagine how bland this would have been if he started it with an explanation of Catholic just war theory and a list of reasons why this war doesn’t qualify