SAINT POPE JOHN PAUL II WAS JUST AS CRITICAL OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH’S WAR MONGERING, YET PRESIDENT BUSH WAS A STATESMAN ABOUT IT, ALTHOUGH HE SURELY DISAGREED WITH THE POPE…

 Here is a summary of Saint John Paul II’s peacemaking, certainly one aspect of His Holiness papacy that points to saintliness and a powerful Catholic identity:

Pope John Paul II was a steadfast opponent of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, declaring war "always a defeat for humanity". He launched a massive diplomatic effort to prevent the conflict, arguing that unilateral, preventative war lacked moral and legal justification, while arguing for diplomatic solutions via the United Nations. 

Key Aspects of Pope John Paul II’s Stance:

• Opposition to the 2003 War: The Pope actively campaigned against the invasion of Iraq, stating in early 2003 that "war is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity".
• Diplomatic Efforts: He sent special envoys, including Cardinal Pio Laghi to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush and another representative to Saddam Hussein, urging peace and adherence to international law.
• "No War" Campaign: In his 2003 "State of the World" address, he called for international dialogue and diplomacy, insisting that war should only be a last resort.
• Rejection of "Preventive War": Pope John Paul II maintained that a "preemptive" war was not considered self-defense and was unjust and illicit.
• Concerns for Humanity: He feared the war would create a catastrophic humanitarian crisis for the Iraqi people—already suffering from sanctions—and worsen relations between Christians and Muslims.
• Concerns About the 1991 Gulf War: During the 1991 Gulf War, the Pope was highly critical of the military action, calling it a "darkness" and criticizing the sanctions that devastated the Iraqi civilian population.
• Meeting with Bush (2004): Despite opposing the war, the Pope met with President Bush, and while their relationship was strained by the conflict, they did discuss the situation in Iraq and the Vatican's concerns.

And in 2023, The National Catholic Register had a retrospect on Saint John Paul’s peacemaking efforts and how President Bush received this great saint and pope. Press title for full article, money byte below:

As John Paul II Taught Us, Opposition to War Is a Pro-Life Principle

COMMENTARY: With war again rampant, what lessons should we draw from the pro-life Pope’s unflinching opposition to the Iraq War 20 years ago?

Diplomatic Campaign

John Paul II undertook a diplomatic campaign to persuade political leaders who supported the war to reconsider. He sent Cardinal Pio Laghi to meet with President George W. Bush to convey his opposition to the war. After the meeting, Cardinal Laghi stated of the war, “You might start it, and you don’t know how to end it.”

This proved painfully true. These diplomatic efforts affirmed the Church’s long-standing support of the United Nations. Laghi stated that we must “wait for the United Nations, whether they would give a green light in one way or the other.” Without waiting, the war would be unjust. 

The most powerful moment in John Paul II’s opposition to the Iraq War was his personal meeting with President Bush. The Pontiff — debilitated by Parkinson’s — publicly and on live TV told Bush that it was time to end the war as “quickly as possible with the active participation of the international community and, in particular, the United Nations organization, in order to ensure a speedy return of Iraq’s sovereignty, in conditions of security for all its people.” The president did not heed the Pope’s advice, and the war dragged on, leaving its wounds on Iraq and Syria to this very day.