Your Independent Journal from the Heartland
Pope Leo XIV, the first pope born in the United States, showed off his Chicago roots April 13 by refusing to stoop to President Donald Trump’s level after Trump attacked the pontiff in an unhinged late-night social media frenzy, Oliver Willis noted at Daily.Kos.com (4/13).
“I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for,” Leo told reporters.
The pope has repeatedly denounced Trump’s war in Iran, rooting his criticism in the Bible’s opposition to killing and unjust war. Previously, Pope Leo noted, “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.” He has also condemned “absurd and inhuman violence” and “the blasphemy of war.”
Leo’s latest rebuke of Trump came after the president posted a 334-word screed on his Truth Social account on Sunday, April 12, attacking the pope as “WEAK on Crime.”
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country,” Trump fumed.
He added, “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!”
Trump’s post was followed up with another featuring an apparently AI-generated image of Trump depicted as Jesus Christ, healing a man with his touch.
The Bible defines blasphemy—one of the most serious crimes in the Christian faith—as the promotion of a false doctrine and leading Christians away from following the teachings of God and Jesus.
Trump’s decision to depict himself as a god-like figure also signals that Trump’s mental state makes him unfit to lead the country. Several Democrats have called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked and for Trump to be removed from office, citing his inability to execute his position.
Trump’s post about the pope was condemned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “I am disheartened that the President chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father,” Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, the conference’s president, said in a statement. “Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls.”
Trump’s missive also drew a statement from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who wrote on X in Persian, “Your Excellency Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex), on behalf of the great nation of Iran, I condemn the insult to Your Excellency and declare that the desecration of Jesus (peace be upon him), the Prophet of peace and brotherhood, is unacceptable to any free person. I wish glory for you from Allah.”
Trump’s attack on the pope may have been triggered by a segment that aired on CBS’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday night, April 12. In the segment, Catholic bishops aired their criticisms of Trump echoing the Pope’s statements, particularly on immigration and the war.
Speaking about the attack on Iran, Cardinal Robert McElroy told the outlet, “In the Catholic teaching this is not a just war.”
Reacting to the controversy, CNN data analyst Harry Enten speculated on X, “Maybe Trump’s jealous of the Pope? ... It’s a blowout favoring the Pope in terms of popularity in America. The Pope’s net popularity rating: +34 pt. Trump: -12 pt.”
Enten also noted that among Catholics who were polled, a majority agreed with the pope in opposing the war.
While Trump has long had the support of conservative Christian voters, his grip on Christian doctrine has been shaky, at best. Trump infamously referred to the Bible verse Second Corinthians as “Two Corinthians,” and has hawked a tacky Trump-branded Bible and other schlocky trinkets.
Trying to bait the leader of Catholicism into an online flame war has failed spectacularly, but it’s right in line with Trump’s ever-growing list of screwups.
