Catholic leaders condemn US using war as ‘instrument’ as Trump threatens to take Greenland

Published January 19, 2026 7:41pm ET



Three American Catholic cardinals issued a joint statement on Monday condemning military action as a “normal instrument” of U.S. foreign policy, pointing to President Donald Trump’s threats against Greenland and the recent operation in Venezuela.

As President Donald Trump continues to push for U.S. acquisition of Greenland from Denmark, he has repeatedly not ruled out the option of using military force to do so. The archbishops of Washington, Chicago, and Newark — Cardinal Robert McElroy, Cardinal Blase Cupich, and Cardinal Joseph Tobin, respectively — spoke of the “events in Venezuela, Ukraine, and Greenland” in their joint statement released Monday.

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