If you spend any time on history forums or strategy game subreddits, you’ve seen the question. Someone always asks if the modern Papacy still has a "red button" for holy war. People imagine a scene out of a Ridley Scott movie where the Pope stands on a balcony in St. Peter’s Square and sends a million people toward Jerusalem.
It’s a wild thought. But honestly, it’s also a deeply misunderstood one.
When people ask can the Pope call for a crusade, they’re usually looking for a "yes" or "no" rooted in International Law or Catholic Canon Law. The reality is a messy mix of medieval theology, 1929 political treaties, and a massive shift in how the Vatican views its own place in the world. To get to the bottom of this, we have to stop looking at the Crusades as just "wars" and start looking at them as a specific legal and spiritual tool that—theoretically—still exists in the basement of the Church's memory, even if it’s covered in several centuries of dust.
The Legal Ghost in the Vatican
Technically speaking, the Pope is a dual figure. He is the Bishop of Rome (the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics) and the Head of State of Vatican City. This is a tiny 121-acre patch of land. He has a tiny army, the Swiss Guard, who carry halberds and wear striped uniforms that look like they haven't changed since the Renaissance.
Could he order them to attack? Sure. Would it be a "Crusade"? No.
A Crusade, in the historical sense, wasn't just any war started by a Pope. It was a very specific legal animal. According to historians like Jonathan Riley-Smith, a crusade required a few specific ingredients: a vow, a specific goal (usually recovering Christian territory), and—most importantly—an indulgence. The indulgence was basically a spiritual "get out of jail free" card for the penance required for sins.
Here is the kicker: The Pope still has the power to grant indulgences. That part of his "authority" hasn't gone anywhere. However, the legal framework of the Jus ad Bellum (the Right to War) in the Catholic Church has been completely rewritten since the Middle Ages.
The Death of the "Holy War" Concept
Modern Catholic teaching, specifically found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and documents from Vatican II, has moved toward "Just War Theory" rather than "Holy War."
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There’s a huge difference.
A Holy War is fought for the faith itself. A Just War is a defensive measure to stop an aggressor. Today’s Vatican is obsessed with diplomacy. They have "nuncios" (ambassadors) in almost every country. If the Pope were to "call for a crusade" today, he would be violating the very international treaties—like the Lateran Treaty of 1929—that allow Vatican City to exist as a sovereign state. That treaty basically says the Vatican will remain neutral in international conflicts unless all parties ask them to mediate.
So, legally? He’s boxed in. But spiritually? That’s where things get weirder.
What Happened to the Crusading Orders?
You’ve probably heard of the Knights Templar. They’re gone (regardless of what Dan Brown tells you). But other orders, like the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), still exist.
I actually saw a member of the Order of Malta once at a formal event. They still wear the crosses. They still have a hierarchy. But they aren't "military" in the sense of tanks and drones. They are a massive global humanitarian organization. They have "observer status" at the United Nations.
If the Pope "called" them to war, they’d likely look at him like he’d lost his mind. Their modern mission is medical. They run hospitals in Bethlehem and disaster relief in the Caribbean. The transition from "warrior monks" to "paramedics in capes" is basically the story of the Papacy itself over the last 500 years.
The Problem of Authority and the Modern World
Let's play out a hypothetical. Say a Pope tomorrow morning decides to revive the rhetoric of Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095. He stands up and says, "Deus Vult" (God wills it).
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What happens?
Absolutely nothing.
The Pope no longer has the "temporal power" to command secular kings. In 1095, the Pope could excommunicate a King, and that King’s subjects were suddenly "freed" from their oaths of loyalty. It was a political nuclear bomb. Today, if the Pope excommunicated a world leader, it might make for a spicy headline on the BBC or Al Jazeera, but it wouldn't stop the tax department from collecting checks or the army from following orders.
We live in an era of Westphalian sovereignty. Countries are defined by borders and secular laws, not by their relationship to the Holy See.
Why the Vatican Still Uses "Crusade" Language (Carefully)
Sometimes you’ll hear a Pope use "crusade" in a metaphorical sense. Pope Francis has called for a "crusade against hunger" or a "crusade for the environment."
He’s being intentional.
He knows the word carries weight, but he’s trying to "rebrand" the zeal of the Middle Ages into something that fits the 21st century. But he has to be incredibly careful. In the Middle East, the word "crusade" (or al-hamlat al-salibiyya) is still a massive, open wound. When George W. Bush accidentally used the word "crusade" after 9/11, it caused a diplomatic firestorm. The Vatican's diplomats spent weeks smoothing things over because they know that for millions of people, a "call for a crusade" isn't a history lesson—it’s a threat.
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The Theological Wall
There’s a concept in the Church called Development of Doctrine. Basically, the Church believes that while truth doesn't change, our understanding of it does.
In the 12th century, St. Bernard of Clairvaux argued that killing an "infidel" wasn't "homicide" but "malecide" (killing evil). It was a horrific justification for violence. Modern Popes have explicitly apologized for this. Pope John Paul II made a massive point of asking for forgiveness for the "sins committed in the service of truth," specifically referring to the Crusades and the Inquisition.
If a Pope tried to call a crusade now, he would be contradicting the last 100 years of Papal teaching. He would essentially be declaring that his predecessors were wrong about the nature of peace. Within the Catholic Church, that would create a "schism"—a total breakdown of authority.
Can the Pope Call for a Crusade? The Final Verdict
If we are talking about a literal, military expedition authorized by the Church to seize territory through armed force?
No. The Pope lacks the legal mechanism, the military infrastructure, and the theological justification to do it. The world has changed too much. The "Grand Strategy" of the Vatican today is "Soft Power." They use the "bully pulpit" to influence the UN, to broker peace in places like South Sudan, and to advocate for refugees.
However, the Pope can still call for a spiritual mobilization. He can call for a "Crusade of Prayer." He can mobilize the world's largest NGO network to move into a war zone to provide aid. It’s just not the "knights on horseback" image we’ve been sold by Hollywood.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs and Students
If you're researching this for a paper or just trying to win an argument at a bar, keep these points in mind:
- Look up the Lateran Treaty: This is the legal document that keeps the Pope neutral. It’s the reason he can’t just pick sides in a modern war without losing his status.
- Distinguish between "Holy War" and "Just War": The Catholic Church officially abandoned the "Holy War" (Crusade) model in favor of the "Just War" model centuries ago.
- Study the "Indulgence": Remember that a Crusade was a religious act, not just a military one. Without the specific grant of a plenary indulgence for the act of fighting, it's just a regular war.
- Follow the "Nuncios": If you want to see how the Pope actually exerts power today, look at his ambassadors. They do more in a quiet room in Geneva than a fleet of ships ever could.
The era of the "Warrior Pope" like Julius II is over. The modern Pope is a diplomat in white robes, and his only real weapon is his voice. He can call for many things—peace, charity, sacrifice—but the age of calling for a Crusade has been relegated to the archives of the Secret Library.
The Church has decided that the only way to "win" in the modern world is through dialogue, even if that’s a lot less cinematic than a cavalry charge.