Why Trump took on the Pope

On 12 April 2026, Donald Trump posted an attack on Pope Leo XIV. It reads as follows:

“[Leo] wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.  If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican…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.”

Anyone neither a cardinal nor a Catholic believing a fantasy of this kind, implying that they are personally responsible for the appointment of a particular Pope, would normally suggest a level of narcissism indicating mental illness.  That is, unless you are deliberately trying to create such an impression.  Which of these applies to Donald Trump is a dilemma posed for those who have to deal with the the President of the United States.  The political American scientist Timothy Synder, who has now wisely moved to a chair in Toronto, believes we should think more in the direction of Trump performing, rather than being, a full-blown uncontrolled narcissistic sociopath.  Is the now notorious mocked-up picture of Trump dressed as a Christ-like figure lighting the world and healing a sick man “only” intended as some kind of  blasphemous joke?  After this ramble against Pope Leo, I’m not so sure.

Trump’s other persona, the foul-mouthed Mafia boss, perhaps came in useful for property dealing in New York’s school of hard knocks.  It is increasingly the role adopted in what passes for Trump’s diplomacy.  Fall into line, pay your protection money or we burn down your restaurant.  Quite persuasive when taking over territory — at least in movies.

Trump’s Truth Social ramble last Sunday was something of an outburst foretold.  But had the Pope been Filipino, he would also have been reacting to the wars around the world, criticizing warmongers and calling for peace.  An American Pope could not ignore an American war thwarting diplomatic negotiations that were making progress, chosen and justified with the misuse of Christian scriptures, and prayer.   And it is hardly news that the Holy Land is in the Middle East and Christians are suffering alongside everyone else.

In one way, this is a comforting sign that the administration thinks American Catholics may heed the Pope’s words.  Also, whilst the Trump minions are playing at their version of Christian Nationalism, Vice-President Vance cannot handle his relations with the Church in the same way as JFK, with a strict separation of State and Church.  As the number one contender for the 2028 presidential election, perhaps Vance and his Catholicism are deliberately being put on the line by Trump.

Vance had to do two incompatible things.  Pretend Trump has a reasonable position, appealing to at least some element of the Maga masses, and not further alienate a Catholic constituency that might vote for him at some point for President.  In the event he took the chance to demonstrate before the Maga masses in Georgia his ignorance of just war theory and to lecture the Augustinian Pope on being careful with his theology.  St Augustine, of course, elaborated the evaluation of the conditions for a just war.

These developments pose for the Pope and the American Catholic hierarchy a growing problem.  US Catholics are not immune to MAGA mythology.  There is the question of the balance between the imperatives of truth and the quest for a healthy unity.  The Pope is, of course, simply making timely interventions, based on moral theology and marked by his Augustinian formation.  And by way of comparison, he is far less American in his pastoral experience than St John Paul II was Polish in his.

Pope Leo has no intention of engaging in dialogue with Trump, though he responded firmly to journalists’ questions on the plane to Algeria on Monday.  “I do not think the message of the Gospel should be abused in the way some people are doing”, he told them. “I will continue to speak out loudly against war, to try to promote peace, multilateral dialogue between states in order to seek the right solutions to problems…The message of the Gospel is the message of the Church, blessed are the peacemakers.  I do not see my role as that of a politician”, a point he made several times.  It is some commentary on the life of a modern Pope when a visit to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, with their multiple problems, coincides with verbal abuse from the leader of the most powerful nation on earth.  May he return safely.

A speech in Bamenda, a war zone in Cameroon, gave Pope Leo another opportunity to double down on his message. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” he said. “But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”  President Biya would not have liked his equally pointed further comment: “The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters.”  If there had been doubts Leo was the soft, more diplomatic option after Francis, here was a fearless voice saying what had to be said. The gloves have come off.

In response, Trump hasn’t changed his tune but his language.  He told journalists later on Thursday he was “all about the Gospel”. He wants the Pope to speak out.  But remarkably for the man who pulled out of the 2015 international agreement that was being honoured by the Iranian government, and that had ended any pursuit they might have had of developing a nuclear bomb, he claimed that the Pope had said Iran can have a nuclear weapon.  As usual, a completely false claim, as the CNN anchor interviewing him pointed out.  So Trump claimed that he had a right to disagree with Leo. Indeed he does but some conception of truth might help too.

Maybe the message will get through to the White House that the successor to St Peter preaches the Gospel and speaks to a global Church, not only to a particular country. His message about war and peace is intended for all leaders, not only POTUS. It’s in the job description and scarcely  esoteric knowledge.

But  there is one thing for which we should be grateful to Trump this week: with about 20% of the American population identifying as Catholics (some 75 million), if even only 1% of these voting in November’s midterm elections were to react angrily to Sunday’s outburst with traditional loyalty to the papacy, changing their vote from Republican to Democrat as a result, then Trump would have just handed over the Senate and Congress to the Democrats.

A Message from TheArticle

We are the only publication that’s committed to covering every angle. We have an important contribution to make, one that’s needed now more than ever, and we need your help to continue publishing throughout these hard economic times. So please, make a donation.