The Vatican has criticized the European Union (EU) for applying double standards to war through the selective application of international law.

According to the European edition of Politico on June 28 (local time), Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, pointed out the lack of consistency in European foreign policy during a closed-door consistory that began on June 26. He stated that the international community is increasingly applying moral and legal principles based on political interests rather than universal standards.

Cardinal Fernández, who is from Argentina, remarked, "The reality is that if a country is an adversary, it is criticized for lacking democracy and sanctioned in various ways, but if it is an ally, its lack of freedom of expression, human rights, and democracy is ignored."

Cardinal Fernández also directly targeted the EU, saying, "Economic sanctions are imposed on one country, and financial and military support is provided to another, yet there is no similar response to other cases that have caused more serious invasions and more horrific consequences."

These remarks are interpreted as a critique that while the EU actively supports Ukraine, which has been at war against Russia for five years, and sanctions Russia, it does not apply the same principles to conflicts such as the Middle East war, which began with preemptive strikes by the United States and Israel.

"Such contradictions suggest that, in reality, political and economic interests in various regions of the world are being prioritized," Cardinal Fernández added. "A practical and stable framework for truth and values no longer exists."

He also pointed out that major powers, including Russia and the United States, are excessively broadening the concept of self-defense to justify military interventions from Ukraine to the Middle East. He argued that Catholic doctrine regarding a "just war" is being misused not to stop wars, but to justify the most unjust ones.

To prevent this, Cardinal Fernández emphasized that countries must reject the broad logic of "preventive war," which is increasingly used as a pretext to justify military action, and that the grounds for legitimate self-defense must be understood in the "strictest sense."

Politico observed that this stance by Cardinal Fernández could deepen the rift between U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Pope Leo XIV over Catholic doctrine regarding a "just war."

Pope Leo XIV, who has been critical of the Donald Trump administration's exclusionary immigration policies and lack of tolerance for minorities, has begun to voice direct criticism of the United States in the wake of the Middle East war.

Vice President Vance, a Catholic, has clashed with the Pope, arguing that U.S. military action against Iran is justified based on St. Augustine's "Just War Theory," which systematizes the conditions for limited use of force to prevent greater evil and injustice.

Meanwhile, Politico reported that in his closing address to the consistory on June 27, Pope Leo XIV welcomed the opinions of cardinals who suggested that the Catholic Church's teachings on self-defense should be re-examined in light of the fundamental changes in the nature of modern conflicts, declaring that he would address this issue with "the necessary theological and pastoral rigor."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)