Recommendations of the Editorial team
Donald Trump is now attacking the Pope.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on crime and a disaster for foreign policy,” the president wrote on Truth Social on Sunday evening in response to Pope Leo XIV’s recent criticism of the war against Iran. Trump continued to blast the Catholic Church’s stance on the Covid-19 pandemic, attacking Leo for opposing him despite having the “Greatest Stock Market in History” and claiming that his presidency was the only reason Leo became pope in the first place. “If I weren’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” wrote Trump.
“Leo should finally take his job as Pope seriously, use common sense, stop pandering to the Radical Left and focus on being a great Pope – not a politician,” the President concluded. “This is doing him enormous harm and, more importantly, it is harming the Catholic Church!”
Image of Christ after the attack
Less than an hour after his attack on Pope Leo, Trump posted an image showing himself as a robed, Christ-like figure – using divine power to heal a man as nurses, soldiers and others look on in awe.
Pope Leo “God does not bless conflict,” Leo wrote Friday. “Whoever is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, never stands on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military actions do not create space for freedom or times of #peace, which only come about through the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue between peoples.”
Since his return to the White House, Trump has been in constant conflict with church representatives. Shortly after his inauguration, the Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde gave a sermon at Washington National Cathedral asking for mercy for those who fear. Trump was present and a few days later attacked Budde as a “radical leftist” and “Trump hater.” He let their message bounce back: He launched a brutal immigration offensive that Leo described last fall as “extremely disrespectful.” Since then, the course has tightened further – in parallel with the president’s growing appetite for military adventure.
Vatican under pressure
The Trump administration has demanded support from the Catholic Church in both areas.
The Free Press reported earlier this week that the Pentagon pressured former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See Cardinal Christophe Pierre at a meeting earlier this year. According to The Free Press, citing a Vatican official briefed on the meeting, it was said that “the US military has the power to do whatever it wants – and the church had better side with it.” The White House has denied the reports, and the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See said Cardinal Pierre rejected the media account.
Trump’s attack on Sunday followed a broadcast by “60 Minutes” – which regularly attacks Trump – in which Catholic cardinals said the ongoing conflict with Iran was “not a just war.” That same evening, Trump was asked about his post against Leo. “I don’t think he’s doing his job particularly well. He likes crime, I guess,” said the president, before adding: “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.”
Leo’s response to Trump
Leo was also asked about Trump’s attacks. “I am not afraid of the Trump administration and will proclaim the message of the gospel loud and clear — because that, I believe, is my mission here, the mission of the church,” he said. “We are not politicians. We do not conduct foreign policy from the perspective that he may know. But I believe in the message of the gospel – as a peacemaker.”
