Vatican News has reported that three prominent U.S. Catholic cardinals have issued a strong joint statement calling for a reorientation of American foreign policy. Their rationale for the statement has to do with recent global events and Pope Leo XIV's address to diplomats.
What they have called for is a “genuinely moral policy.” While the statement does not prescribe specific policy recommendations, they state that America’s foreign policy must be guided by moral clarity and a commitment to peace, human dignity, and religious liberty, rather than power politics or economic self-interest. They cited the message of Christ in the Bible as the reason for their statement. They went on to lament that efforts to build "just and sustainable peace" have been overshadowed by partisanship, polarization, and policies they characterize as destructive, despite peace being vital to "the well-being of humanity." You can read the news report on this story at https://www.newsmax.com/us/cardinals-moral-foreignpolicy/2026/01/19/id/1242700/.
On the surface, this call to a “genuinely moral policy” seems like a good thing. Who doesn’t want that? The problem is, though, the definition of what is “moral” is not commonly agreed upon. But that’s not all. A definition of the meaning of “peace” is also not agreed upon. And why are they only calling on America? After all, there are horrible atrocities occurring all over the world because of the actions of many different governments.
This exposes a a massive problem in their rationale. For instance, radical Muslims define morality in a way that allows them to lie about what they are doing, and allows them to kill people they think are opposing the mandate of Allah – based only on their interpretation of what that is. And to Hamas, slaughtering Jewish civilians in a surprise attack and taking hundreds of hostages is a “genuinely moral policy.” To the Iranian regime, slaughtering perhaps tens of thousands of their own citizens is done in the name of Allah and is thus moral.
And concerning peace, when radical Islamists talk about peace, they generally do not have in mind the modern liberal idea of pluralism, mutual tolerance, or coexistence among competing worldviews. Rather, they define it as the complete submission of society to Islamic rule, after which resistance ceases and order is enforced. Peace, to them, is submission to Islamic rule, and often consider violence to be a legitimate means to that end.
It seems that the Catholic cardinals were espousing supposedly Christian principles without providing any context about what they meant. They seem to assume that everyone agrees with their definition of morality and peace without being specific about what they actually mean. Since they are not specific, their call totally loses its meaning.
Is their call for a “genuinely moral policy” only to be applied to America? Does their call for “peace” have any meaning at all for people who don’t hold a biblical worldview? And when they speak of “peace,” are they limiting it to the absence of violence, or does it have some deeper meaning?
Sadly, in theological liberalism, which seems to form the basis for defining morality and peace for these cardinals, these terms are not defined by what the Bible teaches, but rather by some man-made definition. Biblical morality begins with an individual’s personal relationship with God, and is expressed as an act of love for God to live out His character from the heart. Legalistically following laws and rules of conduct are not what pleases God. And peace, based on biblical teachings, is not merely the absence of war or violence, but is an expression of the presence of God. It is in the heart before it is ever expressed outwardly in the world.
Catholic theologians of all people should know that. But these particular ones have bought into the secular world’s definition of morality and peace. They need to go back to the Bible and reread it.
True morality being expressed in the world cannot happen until hearts are changed. True peace will not happen in the world until the world comes to know God. Calls for people who do not know God to act as if they knew Him are meaningless gestures.
This is not saying that there should not be peacemakers in the world working toward political policies that eliminate violence and various kinds of immoral behavior. That is an important part of the task God has given to those who serve in government. But for leaders in Christian ministry, their first duty is to call people to turn their hearts to God. Without that, there will never be either “genuinely moral policy” or “peace.”
Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.
You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.
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