In consistory’s 2nd session, cardinals discuss just war, faith in Christ
June 27, 2026
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CWN Editor's Note: During the second session of the two-day extraordinary consistory (program), members of the College of Cardinals discussed the topic, “The Culture of Power and the Civilization of Love.”
According to the Vatican News’s summary of the confidential deliberations, “all the groups [of cardinals] reaffirmed the centrality of faith in Christ and of the Gospel, which has the power to transform the world when it is lived rather than treated as mere theory.”
“Many participants stressed the need to move beyond the logic of just war, since the Gospel cannot be imposed by force, and instead to speak of the right to proportionate self-defense,” according to the summary.
Vatican News reported that the cardinals also discussed the following topics, among others:
- “the challenges of the present time, highlighting the dehumanizing force of the culture of power, its universal reach, the temptation to conform to the logic of the powerful, and the normalization of war and polarization”
- “the responsibility to build peace and a civilization of love”
- “the importance of offering a credible witness—beginning within the Church itself—through a language centered on people: one of listening, forgiveness, reconciliation, restorative justice, and concrete gestures”
- “unity within the Church is essential to its credibility, as is dialogue with other faiths and religions, particularly Islam”
- “the role of political authority, calling for it to be freed from what was described as its toxic link with economic power”
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