Donald Trump is accustomed to criticism from coast to coast \u2014 Democrats, disaffected Republicans, late-night comedians, massive protests. Yet in his second presidency, Trump\u2019s most influential American critic doesn\u2019t live in the country but at the Vatican.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an unprecedented situation, with the first American pope<\/a> directly assailing the American president<\/a> over the war in Iran, where a fragile ceasefire<\/a> took hold this week. The announcement came after Pope Leo XIV declared that Trump\u2019s belligerence was \u201ctruly unacceptable.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Never before has the relationship between Washington and the Vatican revolved around two Americans \u2014 specifically, a 79-year-old politician from Queens and a 70-year-old pontiff from Chicago. They come from the same generation and share some common cultural roots yet bring jarringly distinct approaches to their positions of vast power. And the relationship comes with risks for both sides.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re two white guy boomers but they could not be any more different in their life experiences, in their values, in the way they have chosen to live those values,\u201d said theology professor Natalia Imperatori-Lee of Fordham University. \u201cThis is a very stark contrast, and I think an inflection point for American Christianity.\u201d<\/p>\n Polar positions on Iran among U.S. Christians<\/p>\n Experts on the Catholic Church emphasized that Leo\u2019s opposition to the war reflects established church teachings, not the reflexive politics of the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the last five centuries, the church has been involved in a project of helping develop strong international norms,\u201d including the Geneva Conventions in recent centuries, said Catholic University professor William Barbieri. \u201cIt is a very long-standing tradition rooted in Scripture and theology and philosophy.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet the U.S. administration, which has close ties<\/a> to conservative evangelical Protestant leaders, has claimed heavenly endorsement<\/a> for Trump\u2019s war on Iran.<\/p>\n Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Americans to pray for victory \u201cin the name of Jesus Christ.\u201d When Trump was asked whether he thought God approved of the war, he said, \u201cI do, because God is good \u2014 because God is good and God wants to see people taken care of.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rev. Franklin Graham<\/a>, son of iconic Baptist evangelist Billy Graham<\/a>, said of Trump that God \u201craised him up for such a time as this.\u201d And Graham prayed for victory so Iranians can \u201cbe set free from these Islamic lunatics.\u201d<\/p>\n Leo countered in his Palm Sunday message that God \u201cdoes not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.\u201d He referenced an Old Testament passage from Isaiah, saying that \u201ceven though you make many prayers, I will not listen \u2014 your hands are full of blood.\u201d<\/p>\n While it\u2019s not unusual for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it\u2019s exceedingly rare for the leader of the Catholic Church to directly criticize a U.S. leader, and Leo later named Trump directly and expressed optimism that the president would seek \u201can off-ramp\u201d in Iran. <\/p>\n An even stronger condemnation came after Trump warned of mass strikes against Iranian power plants and infrastructure, writing on social media that \u201can entire civilization will die tonight.\u201d Leo described that as a \u201cthreat against the entire people of Iran\u201d and said it was \u201ctruly unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n Experts: Leo doesn\u2019t see himself as a Trump rival <\/p>\n Imperatori-Lee said Leo\u2019s direct criticism stands out from the church\u2019s more general critiques of political and social systems. For example, Pope Francis urged U.S. bishops to defend migrants<\/a> without specifically mentioning Trump or his deportation agenda. Leo also previously called for humane treatment of migrants<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cPopes have critiqued unfettered capitalism before, very robustly. The popes have critiqued the Industrial Revolution, right? Things that the U.S. has been at the forefront of,\u201d Imperatori-Lee said, \u201cbut it\u2019s never been this specific and localized.\u201d<\/p>\n She said Leo\u2019s commentary resonates in the U.S. \u2014 with Catholics and non-Catholics \u2014 because he is a native English speaker.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no question about his inflection and meaning,\u201d she said. \u201cIt removes any ambiguities.\u201d<\/p>\n