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President Trump and Pope Leo XIV are in a war of words over the war in Iran. It\u2019s the most open dispute between an American president and a Roman pontiff that anyone can remember.<\/p>\n
Without calling him by name, the pope has been sharply critical of Trump. While on a visit to Cameroon the pope spoke of a world, \u201cravaged by a handful of tyrants.\u201d <\/em>The statement is widely believed to be specifically referencing the president.<\/p>\n In a social media post, the pope said, \u201cGod does not bless any conflict.\u201d<\/em> Immediately following the beginning of hostilities on February 28, the pope said that peace comes, \u201c\u2026not through weapons but through dialogue.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n For his part the president has<\/em> specifically named the pope in his responses. In trademark fashion, he has pushed back hard on the pontiff, saying in a Truth Social post, \u201cPope LEO is WEAK on crime and terrible for Foreign Policy<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n The pope\u2019s defenders \u2013 which includes what is likely a majority of U.S. Catholic bishops \u2013 are saying that Pope Leo\u2019s criticism of the Iran war is nothing more or less than the sum of Catholic teaching about war.<\/p>\n I believe that position deserves closer examination.<\/p>\n Such examination begins with the stipulation that a Roman pontiff is going to condemn war. That should surprise no one. But such condemnation then begs the question, \u201cWhere has Pope Leo so outspokenly condemned the known atrocities of the Iranian regime?\u201d Oh, he frequently calls for respect for human dignity and fundamental human rights; i.e. papal boilerplate \u2013 the rhetoric of every pope.<\/p>\n But if Leo has as pointedly called out Iran as he has the United States and Donald Trump, I can\u2019t find it (and neither can ChatGPT, because I asked when I could find nothing on my own).<\/p>\n