![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26103583875319.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV is welcomed by Rector Mohamed Mamoun Al Qasimi upon his arrival at the Great Mosque in Algiers, Monday, April 13, 2026, on the first day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa. (AP Photo\/Andrew Medichini)<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV, a studious and soft-spoken cleric, and Donald Trump, an unapologetically bellicose and pugilistic politician, have long been on a rhetorical collision course. Now their disagreement over the war in Iran has escalated in spectacular fashion, and their comments show how differently each see the conflict and its impact.<\/p>\n
On social media, Trump said Leo was \u201cWeak\u201d and captive to the \u201cRadical Left,\u201d even suggesting that Leo somehow owed his position to Trump. The pope has declared Trump\u2019s threats toward Iran \u201ctruly unacceptable\u201d and pointed his flock to biblical text and church doctrine on war and peace, explaining that his purpose is not about Trump at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not afraid of the Trump administration,\u201d Leo said Monday on the way to Africa, \u201cor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a spectacle involving the world\u2019s two biggest megaphones, both held by Americans for the first time. Here is how they got to this point.<\/p>\n
Before the papacy, Robert Prevost did not mince words<\/p>\n
WHAT HE SAID: When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the future pope was a bishop in Peru. He did not shy away from assigning clear blame to Moscow. On a Peruvian show \u201cWeekly Expression,\u201d Prevost described an \u201cimperialist invasion in which Russia wants to conquer territory for reasons of power given Ukraine\u2019s strategic location.\u201d<\/p>\n
The clip resurfaced in Italian media soon after he was elected pope on May 8, 2025.<\/p>\n
In early 2025, then-Cardinal Prevost used social media to share a news analyses that criticized U.S. Vice President JD Vance, a converted Catholic, for justifying harsh immigration policy by arguing that Christianity sets a pecking order of caring for others, putting one\u2019s family, immediate community and fellow citizens above foreigners.<\/p>\n
\u201cJD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn\u2019t ask us to rank our love for others,\u201d read the headline that the future pope shared.<\/p>\n
CONTEXT AND WHY IT MATTERS: Catholic bishops comment often in their local media, and some achieve considerable influence. But they vary widely in how detailed they are about public policy and politics. Many stick to broad statements about church doctrine and values and avoid taking stands at odds with individual politicians. With his comments in Peru and then his rare retweet as a cardinal in Rome, Prevost showed he kept abreast of world affairs and was willing to be quite direct in his critiques.<\/p>\n
Trump celebrated the \u2018Great Honor\u2019 of Pope Leo\u2019s election<\/p>\n
WHAT HE SAID: \u201cCongratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope,\u201d Trump posted on Truth Social on May 8, 2025. \u201cIt is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump later said at the White House that \u201cwe were a little bit surprised and very happy\u201d with Leo\u2019s election.<\/p>\n
By Monday, he was using Truth Social to take credit for Leo\u2019s election: \u201cHe wasn\u2019t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n
WHY IT MATTERS: Trump sees Leo in terms of nationalistic pride and loyalty. The immediate look toward meeting Leo (something that still hasn\u2019t happened) reflected his typical embrace of power and celebrity, even when it isn\u2019t a natural political fit. Further, Trump\u2019s takes do not reflect any nuance about Leo\u2019s origins or the Vatican\u2019s relationship with the U.S.<\/p>\n
The College of Cardinals historically has viewed the U.S. with some skepticism \u2014 specifically because of how Washington\u2019s military and economic policies have affected the world, especially poor nations, and with a general reluctance to grant the papacy to someone from the world\u2019s preeminent superpower.<\/p>\n
Leo grew up, was educated and then ordained in the U.S. but spent decades as a church leader elsewhere, including in poor areas of South America. \u201cHe was the least American of the Americans,\u201d said Steven Millies, a professor at Chicago\u2019s Catholic Theological Union, where a young Leo earned his master of divinity.<\/p>\n
From the start, Pope Leo reflected church teachings on war and peace<\/p>\n
WHAT HE SAID: \u201cPeace be with you all \u2026 the first greeting of the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd who gave his life for the flock of God.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those were Leo\u2019s first words from the balcony of St. Peters. When he returned to the loggia for his first Sunday blessing, he addressed the Russian war on Ukraine and violence between Israel and Gaza, decrying a \u201cthird world war in pieces.\u201d The following Monday, Leo opened an audience with journalists by quoting Jesus. \u201cIn the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaimed: \u2018Blessed are the peacemakers,’\u201d the pontiff said.<\/p>\n
WHY IT MATTERS: Leo\u2019s earliest statements all emphasized \u201cpeace\u201d as a central message of Jesus \u2014 and previewed a likely theme of his papacy. Adding mentions of Ukraine, Russia, Israel and Palestine affirmed his willingness to go beyond theory and apply doctrine to what\u2019s happening to people around the world.<\/p>\n
The pope was careful about any US branding<\/p>\n
WHAT HE SAID: Just as important as the words of his opening papal statements on peace were the languages the polyglot Leo used: none English.<\/p>\n
At his introduction to the world from St. Peter\u2019s Square, Leo opened in Italian and then used Spanish to address Peruvian Catholics and citizens where he\u2019d served. Leo\u2019s Sunday blessing was in Italian. He briefly greeted the journalist assembly in English, with the obvious inflection of a Chicago native, but then quickly transitioned to Italian for his remarks. Even in recent encounters with reporters, Leo has opened in Italian before then answering in English.<\/p>\n
WHY IT MATTERS: Latin and Italian are the official languages of the Vatican so it\u2019s no surprise that Leo speaks the local vernacular. But it\u2019s a conscious choice for him to use his fluent Italian and Spanish. It underscores that he\u2019s the leader of a global institution with 1.4 billion followers.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t want to be perceived, I think, as coming from the American side or as relying on his authority as American,\u201d said Catholic University professor William Barbieri. \u201cHe wants to speak in the name of the church.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holy Week and Easter revealed a chasm<\/p>\n
WHAT THEY SAID: Trump escalated threats to Iran around Easter, when Christians celebrate the story of Jesus\u2019 resurrection. Leo used his Palm Sunday message to call Jesus the \u201cKing of Peace\u201d and say God \u201cdoes not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: \u2018Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump welcomed conservative religious leaders to the White House for a Holy Week observance. His spiritual adviser Paula White compared the president to Jesus, saying they\u2019re both persecuted figures who endured.<\/p>\n
In Rome, Leo washed the feet of others, as the story of the Last Supper records Jesus doing for his disciples. Speaking to reporters, Leo named Trump directly for the first time and said he hoped the president would seek an \u201coff-ramp\u201d in Iran. On Easter, Trump threatened widespread bombing of Iran\u2019s civilian infrastructure and eradication of a \u201cwhole civilization.\u201d Leo called that threat \u201ctruly unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
WHY IT MATTERS: Their starkly different viewpoints and personalities, combined with the gravity of the Iran war, finally stripped away any pretense or possibility that Trump and Leo could avoid engaging directly.<\/p>\n
Trump is still treating Pope Leo as a domestic political rival<\/p>\n
WHAT THEY SAID: In Trump\u2019s post Sunday blasting Leo as \u201cweak,\u201d among other things, the president said, \u201cI don\u2019t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I\u2019m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do.\u201d (Trump\u2019s 2024 victory was by no means a landslide.) He added that Leo should \u201cfocus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo, meanwhile, said again that he\u2019s not speaking as a politician.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is,\u201d Leo told The Associated Press aboard the papal flight to Algeria. \u201cAnd I\u2019m sorry to hear that but I will continue on what I believe is the mission of the church in the world today.\u201d<\/p>\n
WHY IT MATTERS: It\u2019s all a rare exercise for the papacy, whose occupants often comment on global affairs without specifically naming secular politicians. And while Trump routinely lashes out at anyone he perceives as an enemy, these dynamics are uncommon for the president, too: This time, Trump is picking a fight with someone who does not accept the president\u2019s terms and faces no measurable political pressure to do so.<\/p>\n
The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, is issued the following statement on President Trump\u2019s most recent social media post on Pope Leo XIV:<\/p>\n
\u201cWar divides; hope unites.<\/p>\n
Arrogance tramples upon others; love lifts up.<\/p>\n
Idolatry blinds us; the living God enlightens.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, spoke those words Saturday at a Prayer Vigil for Peace, he was speaking from the heart of the Gospel.<\/p>\n
I was deeply saddened to read comments posted by the President about the Holy Father, and likewise dismayed when seeing an AI-generated image, also posted by the President but then later deleted, that seemingly portrays him in the place of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
I am praying for the President, that he may be guided by wisdom, humility and a sincere pursuit of peace. I am also praying for Pope Leo that he may be strengthened to continue speaking boldly for peace and justice, even in the face of criticism.<\/p>\n
Blessed are the peacemakers!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pope Leo XIV is welcomed by Rector Mohamed Mamoun Al Qasimi upon his arrival at the Great Mosque…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166036,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[74884,74883,6744,178,180,179,74882],"class_list":{"0":"post-166035","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scranton","8":"tag-diocese-of-scranton-bishop-issues-statement","9":"tag-diocese-of-scranton-bishop-issues-statementnews","10":"tag-national-news","11":"tag-scranton","12":"tag-scranton-headlines","13":"tag-scranton-news","14":"tag-trump-and-pope-leo-square-off-over-iran-and-its-aftermath"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}