Pope Leo's statements about war are a testimony to the failures of American Catholic education: an American pope who says "war is never holy" is apparently unaware of the Albigensian Crusades (1209–1229), the Jerusalem Crusades (1095–1291), the Hussite Crusades (1420–1431), or the Baltic Crusades (1170-1410).
Pope Leo likewise seems completely unaware of Pope Julius II (reigned 1503–1513), who actively commanded and led the papal army into battle, earning the nickname "The Warrior Pope" (Il papa terribile). He wore full armor, directed sieges, and fought to regain territory for the Papal States during the Italian Wars.
True, the Church also proclaimed both the Peace of God and the Truce of God, so that, by the mid-11th century, only about 80 days remained for permissible warfare, but those were both declared by bishops via local councils, not popes.
Jesus said he came to bring not peace, but a sword, to set father against son and mother against daughter. He urged his disciples to sell their cloaks and buy swords, nor did he tell them that they had misunderstood when they actually produced two swords.
Finally, even if the Iraq war is primarily about an oil grab, it is never explained why anyone should be ashamed of grabbing oil. Energy is the basic requirement for every other human need: food, clothing, clean water, shelter, and medical care. Without energy, none of those things can be used to care for others: everyone is reduced to the most abject poverty. Given that Christians are tasked with caring for the poor, securing oil is the foundational way to care for the poor in an industrialized society - a society that has already removed over 90% of the world's poverty. The Pope doesn't seem capable of grasping basic economics.
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