How Many Saints Can Pope Leo Add to His Army?

Pope Leo XIV must have found out about the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites just like the rest of Europe — first thing Sunday morning upon waking. It was the 46th day of his papacy and he did what the Roman pontiff was expected to do. At his weekly noon message to the vast throng gathered in St. Peter’s Square, he condemned war as an instrument of policy and pleaded with world leaders to remember the suffering of the innocent. The crowd applauded on that muggy morning, but those virtues feel a little toothless in the wake of bunker-busters and the potential for anarchy.

A geopolitical lesson of the late 20th century was never to underestimate the power of the papacy. John Paul II played a part in dissolving the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact and ending the Cold War, but that’s increasingly dusty history. The Vatican has spent the last couple of decades cleaning up Saint John Paul’s administrative messes — from priestly abuse to banking fiascos. The late Pope Francis may have come across as avuncular, embracing and a liberal, but he was also a tough manager and went a long way to putting the Vatican back on a surer financial footing, although more work needs to be done.