War and Peace: The President and the Pope

I don't wish to reproduce in any form the long insulting rant against Pope Leo XIV that the President of my country posted on Sunday on social media. This latest petulant stream of verbal abuse was a cause for great sorrow, but unfortunately it was not particularly surprising. It was appalling, but — more than that — it was disoriented and pathetic; among other things, it revealed the pathological and painful insecurity that has driven the afflicted ego of Donald Trump for decades. At present, he probably suffers not only from chronic mental illness but also from increasing cognitive decline. 

Still, it was a shame for him to attack the Pope. I hope he is capable of experiencing shame, as it can be a salutary thing. It can be an opening for Divine Mercy, which is the only hope for any of us. I hope and pray that he finds healing and salvation, just as I hope and pray that I find healing and salvation. In the midst of the ongoing political and social arguments in my own country, and without denying the requirements of justice and accountability for the suffering he has caused others, I never want to forget that Donald Trump is a human person, created by God and loved by Jesus Christ. Donald Trump is my brother.

Nevertheless, right now my brother Donald is a deeply disturbed narcissistic man who lashes out at everyone, never apologizes for anything, and refuses all criticism of any of his actions. Unfortunately, as President of the United States, he also continues to be the leader of a regime that wields enormous power. The U.S. regime continues to abuse this power repeatedly both here in the United States and internationally. Most recently, it chose to initiate a reckless and foolish war against Iran in the Middle East, and it continues to hurl dangerous new threats of violence in the face of an alarmingly unstable situation. The power of the U.S. regime has recently brought division, confusion, and hardship into the lives of many people, and may yet unleash a wider, uncontrollable new global war with forms of destruction we can scarcely imagine.

Pope Leo XIV didn't take offense at Trump's rude outburst against him. On the flight to Algeria to begin his Apostolic visit to several African countries, however, he made an effort to answer the questions of reporters. These were not published as any kind of document, but I have collected his video-recorded and widely quoted responses below and I think his words speak for themselves. One of the first questions raised was whether he was afraid of Trump. He made it clear that he is intent on preaching the Gospel, calling out and admonishing those who misuse the Gospel to cover up the assertions of human pride and the aggression of worldly powers, and encouraging the difficult work of being peacemakers, which involves recognizing that dialogue, mutual collaboration, and the whole realm of politics are elevated by the Christian and human vocation to love one another.

Here are Leo's responses:

"I have no fear of the Trump administration, nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel. That's what I believe in. I am called to do what the Church is called to do."

The Pope said his words "are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone and the message of the Gospel is very clear, 'Blessed are the peacemakers.'

"I will not shy away from pronouncing the message of the Gospel, of inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges for peace and reconciliation, of looking for ways to avoid war any time that's possible. To 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 and I'm sorry to hear that.

"I do not look at my role as being political ... I don't want to get into a debate with him. I don't think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.

"I will continue to speak out loud against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue, multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems. Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say, 'There's a better way to do this.'"