By 
President Donald Trump sharply criticized Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” and saying he is “not a fan” of the pope, prompting a wave of international reactions.
Trump made the comments about the Holy Father in a lengthy April 12 post on Truth Social that appeared to be reacting to the pontiff’s recent appeals for peace and an end to the war in Iran. In comments to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, shortly afterward, Trump said: “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. … I am not a fan of Pope Leo.” He added: “He’s a very liberal person.”
On Monday morning, the president doubled down on his comments, saying he would not apologize to the pontiff “because Pope Leo said things that are wrong.”
In recent weeks, the pope has repeatedly called for an end to hostilities, crying out “Enough of war!” while presiding over a vigil for peace at St. Peterʼs Basilica at the Vatican on April 11.
“Stop! Itʼs time for peace! Sit at tables of dialogue and mediation, not at tables where rearmament is planned and death actions are deliberated,” he continued.
Iranian leadership spoke out against Trump’s comments, with both the current presidentʼs and the late Imam Sayyid Ali Khameneiʼs social media accounts issuing statements.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote in an April 13 social media post: “His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person. I wish you glory by Allah.”
Pezeshkian’s statement comes after peace talks involving Vice President JD Vance collapsed on April 12. Vance, a Catholic convert and Iraq War veteran, blamed Iran’s refusal to commit to abandoning its nuclear program.
Khamenei’s social media account posted an April 13 message invoking the teachings of Jesus against war: “Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) used to call people to the path of God, and forbade them from vice and injustice.”
“The corrupt and tyrannical powers sought to assassinate that divine Messenger,” the post read, “for those steeped in their passions and the instigators of wars could not tolerate the religion, nor the Prophet, nor those who followed the divine path.”
Romeʼs mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, wrote in an April 13 post: “Rome is close to Pope Leo. Donald Trump’s attacks on his high spiritual magisterium and on his commitment to peace are unacceptable and wound sensitivities and consciences. The city of Rome, uniquely bound to its bishop, firmly reaffirms the values of respect, dialogue, and peace.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has strong diplomatic ties to the Trump administration, has yet to make a statement.
Father Nikodemus Schnabel, abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition in Jerusalem, denounced Trump’s post, writing in German: “And then there are actually Catholics — even in the German-speaking world (!) — who still try to sugarcoat the words and actions of this morally bankrupt president and even defend him on moral grounds.”
Catholic bishops in the United Kingdom condemned Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo and defended the Holy Father’s repeated calls for peace.
“As Pope Leo has made clear, we cannot stand by and allow the message of the Gospel to be abused,” Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark, England, said in a statement shared with EWTN News. “As bishops, we are not politicians, nor statesmen, nor do we pretend to have all the answers. But as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, we know that each of us is called to be a beacon of his peace.”
Wilson called Catholics in the U.K. to “be as courageous as our Holy Father in proclaiming the truth that God demands peace.”
Cardinal Fernando Chomali of Santiago, Chile, also defended the Holy Father, writing in an April 13 post: “Pope Leo XIV is a good man, forged by years of prayer, study, and closeness to the poor.”
“[Leo] prefers to obey God rather than men. His courage comes from his deepest convictions, from God, and not from passions. We have a coherent leader who charts a path of no return for us: to promote peace always and under all circumstances,” Chomali said.
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It’s time to stop our TDS (Trump Denial Syndrome), this grifter has crossed the red line. He must rightly be identified and tagged as today’s incarnation of the Antichrist. Check what the Church and the Bible teach.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
675. Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the “mystery of iniquity” in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. THE SUPREME RELIGIOUS DECEPTION IS THAT OF THE ANTICHRIST, A PSEUDO-MESSIANISM BY WHICH MAN GLORIFIES HIMSELF IN PLACE OF GOD AND OF HIS MESSIAH COME IN THE FLESH [capitalization mine].
Consider the signs. The Bible describes the “lawless one” in 2 Thessalonians 2:8–9, the “boaster” who speaks of his own greatness in Daniel 7:8–11 and 8:25, and the “arrogant one” in Revelation 13:5. John 8:44 calls him a “pathological liar,” while Genesis 10:8–12 and 11:4 identify him as the “builder of towers.” Daniel 9:27 speaks of one who “routinely breaks treaties,” and 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4 reveals that “he demands constant worship.” Matthew 24:24 and 2 Corinthians 11:13–15 describe his “deceit, as he attempts to lure the church into following him” He is the “man of sin” (2 Thessalonians 2:3), bragging about being “the chosen one” (2 Thessalonians 2:4), and showing “no compassion or empathy” (Daniel 11:36). He bears the title “son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3), and Revelation 9:11 calls him “the destroyer.” Daniel 8:25 concludes the portrait: one who “constantly tries to make himself look great.”
If it’s Trump you are speaking of “with your heart”, it doesn’t appear that he is directly persecuting the Church. Some of his policies are hurting Christian community and mission in the US and in far away places, however the intent for it to go like that purposely is not known. He lately criticized Pope Leo but so do many others; in the event caused his enemies to praise Pope Leo and understand better they have the peace on their side. Things that could demonstrate that he can’t assess situations any better than he has them already, that’s all.
At home he is stays subject to the parameters given to him. Trump often tries to demonstrate that he is opne to what others have to say, where I think he can be legitimately faulted. By cumulatively removing people like Roy Moore and Carrie Prejean Boller and alienating others like Tucker Carlson (I don’t mean to single out particular individuals, these are just examples), he is keeping the grounds in the way some of his followers would prefer to work in which suits him just fine too.
Trump seems to have merely adapted himself and his vision to the background groups that planned on bombing the Middle East in stages.
I had a coworker once who was convinced Obama was the Anti Christ.
I personally don’t believe we should be taking any of this very seriously.
We should be paying more attention to Iran & the coming mid terms & less to distractions used by the media to manipulate us.
It all deserves to be taken seriously and be subjected to continuous assessment.
Each era can have an anti-Christ. It isn’t restricted to being all at the end and that’s because the devil is too smart for his own good and is always looking to walk in everyone’s boots, his boots and his boots wardrobes not big enough.
Living where there are black widow spiders & giant centipedes, I’ve learned it’s a good idea to inspect my own boots before putting them on.
Our personal sins should be enough to keep us busy rather than getting distracted looking for the anti-Christ. The Devil uses distractions whenever he can.
Setting aside Trump’s comments for a moment, this article reads like a propaganda piece- a “global” reaction? There are only five people cited, most of them minor figures people have never heard of. The only head of state cited is, rather perversely, the fanatical Iranian leader. Does the author/ewtn news not realize the twisted irony of quoting the propaganda of these anti-Christian Muslims, the world’s number one state-sponsor of terrorism, claiming to be in support of the pope and standing for peace?! In a way this proves the truth of some of Trump’s comments- catholic leaders and media will portray the fanatical Iranians leaders as the peace-loving good guys, being “terrorized” by Trump. Under Leo, American catholic outlets are increasingly acting like their secular media counterparts and can’t be trusted. The interesting thing is the almost complete lack of comment by most world leaders. Do they perhaps also not care for Leo playing diplomat?
Setting aside Trump’s comments for the moment, this piece reads like propaganda- global reaction? There are only five people cited, most of them minor figures. The only head of state cited is, perversely, the iranian leader. Does the author/ewtn news not have a clue about the twisted irony of citing propaganda from the fanatical anti-christian mullahs, the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism, laughingly claiming to be for peace and in support of the pope? This perhaps serves to validate some of Trump’s comments- catholic leaders and media portray the iranian leaders as peace-loving good guys, being terrorized by Trump! Under Leo, american catholic outlets are acting like their secular legacy media counterparts.
The interesting thing is the precise lack of comment by most heads of state, including Catholic ones. Are they also wary of Leo intervening with particular political administrations- to the exclusion of other truly problematic ones- and playing diplomat and chaplain to the globalist, marxist elite, including perhaps the american democrat party? (e.g. the meeting with David Axelrod, the cardinals appearing on 60 minutes to repeat democrat talking points, as starters)
It’s time for our Catholic Church, our Pope, our bishops and clergy get out of playing the worldly game of politics. That cannot end well with the Church.
When the Catholic Church and its bishops engage in politics they miss the signs of the times because they are blinded by their own partisanship. A quick reminder: Catholic churches are being burned down regularly. Catholics are being murdered, kidnapped and beaten around the globe. Priests are slain at the altar while saying Mass. Government agencies are harassing Catholics for practicing their faith. Government agencies are suing Catholic religious sisters for violating immoral secular laws. Communist China had a one-baby policy for years which meant that babies were being slaughtered to meet government reproductive dictates. And what did our Catholic Pope and the Vatican do? Our Catholic leaders entered into a secret agreement with this Chinese Communist government. The examples of the persecution of the Catholic Church are seemingly endless.
Our Catholic Church is heading down a perilous path by getting involved in politics. This is not the way of Christ. Show me in the Gospels that Christ took this path. He did not. In fact, he warned us against doing this.
I have to think that as our Catholic Church turns more and more into a political entity we run the risk of losing faith. We can now understand what Christ might have been referring to when He asked, “When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith.” Perhaps He will find that we have become like all the rest.
Surely this deep insight into Shiite fanaticism, from Msgr. Michael Nazir-Ali would be essential reading for our beloved Pope Leo XIV; it may help him to avoid his kindness reinforcing the ayatollahs!
Msgr. Michael Nazir-Ali argues that Iran’s religious worldview, shaped by centuries of Shia martyrdom theology, helps explain the regime’s resilience under pressure and the risks of assuming a quick collapse.
{CH March 23, 2026 By Edward Pentin}
Western governments misread Iran if they assume its theocratic regime will quickly capitulate under military pressure, because the country’s leaders are sustained by a Shia religious worldview that exalts suffering and martyrdom as supreme virtues.
This is the view of Msgr. Michael Nazir-Ali, a member of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, a former Anglican bishop and an expert in Islamic history.
Writing in the UK’s Daily Telegraph March 17, Msgr. Nazir-Ali argued that Tehran’s defiance is not simply political brinkmanship, but flows from a centuries-old theology in which dying for the faith is a privilege believed to advance God’s purposes and hasten the coming of a just order.
Western policymakers, he warned, must factor this “martyr complex” into their strategic calculations if they are to avoid repeating the mistakes of earlier Middle Eastern interventions.
Msgr. Nazir-Ali, who comes from a Pakistani Shia Muslim background and was received into the Catholic Church in September 2021, recalled the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War when he personally witnessed teenage boys and elderly men being presented with symbolic “green keys to Paradise” before being sent as human waves against Iraqi positions.
When they were killed, he said, their families and neighborhoods were ordered to celebrate their “martyrdom” with lights and religious music, turning personal loss into a public religious festival.
Msgr. Nazir-Ali traced this approach to the martyrdom of Hussein, Muhammad’s grandson, at the hands of the caliph Yazid — which Shia Muslims mark every year with “weeping, chanting, self-flagellation and ordeals of fire” as acts of solidarity with Hussein’s suffering. They also remember the martyrdoms of Hussein’s brother, Hassan, and their father, Ali, the son-in-law of Muhammad. All three are venerated as martyrs.
Drawing on these historical examples, he said persecution and marginalization of Shia communities by dominant powers over the centuries reinforced an ethos in which suffering for the faith is not only tolerated but esteemed as spiritually fruitful. What evolved, Msgr. Nazir-Ali explained, is an “entrenched understanding of the virtue of suffering for their beliefs, which is not found in more triumphalist versions of Islam.”
Iran’s leaders, he continued, have deliberately harnessed this culture of martyrdom before, during and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. “Every act of repression by the Shah and his agents, every setback and every difficulty has been understood in the context of the martyrdom of the first Shia imams or leaders,” said Msgr. Nazir-Ali.
He also pointed out that within Twelver Shiism, Iran’s dominant sect, the expectation remains strong that the Hidden Twelfth Imam, or Mahdi, will return with Jesus to inaugurate a reign of justice. Msgr. Nazir-Ali recalled a leading ayatollah asking him, “When Jesus comes again will he be with our Mahdi?” revealing how Christ is already integrated into Shia end-times belief.
The Pakistani-born prelate further remembered an Iranian government minister telling him that Iran’s foreign policy is built on the struggle for justice for the oppressed everywhere. “This is because such a struggle hastens the return of the Mahdi and his rule of justice,” Msgr. Nazir-Ali explained. “As the Iran-Iraq war demonstrated, if this struggle results in mass martyrdom, this is thought to only hasten the coming of the Imam Mahdi.”
But Msgr. Nazir-Ali, who has studied theology and interfaith relations at Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard, acknowledged that this justice rhetoric sits uneasily with the regime’s brutal oppression of its own people and religious groups, including Iran’s long-persecuted Christians. Iran’s populist paramilitary group known as the Basij, under the supervision of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has “bought in heavily to Shia ideas of martyrdom” and used them to justify their brutal oppression, he said.
In light of all this, Msgr. Nazir-Ali cautioned Western governments not to dismiss Tehran’s threats and defiant rhetoric as “merely bluff or defiance” but rather “deeply rooted in Shia psychology.”
“If the regime were to fall, either as a result of aerial warfare or because of ‘boots on the ground,’ the Islamist revolutionaries have a ready-made force for indefinite resistance to whatever takes the place of the present regime and to its allies,” Msgr. Nazir-Ali argued. “Withdrawal to the mountains and deserts, as well as exile, is an aspect of sharing in the sufferings of their imams, and resistance to the ‘ungodly’ will be understood as hastening the return of Imam Mahdi and the restoration of Sharia-based rule.”
He urged Western leaders to consider this “martyr complex” when making future political and military calculations.
“If the regime survives, this will be seen as a vindication by Allah of the sacrifices made by the IRGC, the Basij and the regime generally,” he stressed. Their program of theocracy, he continued, “will be reinforced,” meaning the Iranian people will have to “bear even more repression and denial of their basic freedoms of thought, expression and belief.”
Conversely, he said if the military action does result in regime change, preparations must be made now to prevent the Basij and other elements from waging a guerrilla war, either inside or outside Iran. He also stressed the need to begin now to create new civil institutions, rather than leaving such restructuring to the last minute, as happened in Iraq.
Many Iranians from all walks of life will want to cooperate in the emergence of a new Iran, Msgr. Nazir-Ali predicted.
“It will need to be rooted in Iran’s ancient civilization,” he said, “from which it can draw inspiration for the urgent task of reconstruction when the ayatollahs fall.”
How is the US going to be a trusted participant in world affairs if it has partnered with Israel as a primacy and it wishes to use bombings to control development in nuclear power generation in this or that nation? Or use bombings as policing in general?
There is no connection between nuclear bomb development and the development of nuclear power generation.
Thank you Mr. Baker.
They are connected and that’s what has to be regulated.
Enrichments.
By-products.
The other areas in “connection” are if these are directly linked to the country’s military and/or other such as shared abroad in commerce.
I’m grateful for our Pope’s witness to peace and I stand with him on the restoration of peace especially in the context of this conflict.
I also have two wishes:
1.) I wish that Pope Leo, when presented with praise from the president of Iran while invoking the name of Our Blessed Lord, would resolutely call out Iran for its injustice in prosecuting this war by targeting civilian targets in non-combatant nations and sinking non-combatant trading vessels. I would also like to see him decry the atrocities committed by this new leaders’ predecessors and ask him to usher in a new Iran where commitment to the human dignity of all would be vouchsafed. Relatedly, there’s something awful and foul about Khamenei’s social media account citing Our Blessed Lord’s denunciation of vice and injustice and weaponizing that claim against our country as though the regime represented by this account lived by these very principles. I presume Pope Leo sees right through the malicious sleight of hand, and I would greatly appreciate him properly interpreting Our Blessed Lord as His Pope – not letting whoever operates Khamenei’s account to have the last word.
2.) I wish our president would take seriously the amazing power that America possesses and act not as someone with the capability to obliterate and opponent’s civilization; but rather, help America, and the world, to see how this military action is both necessary, and in the interest of creating a more peaceful world. The bombast and bluster are precisely the opposite of what our country stands for, and it is entirely contrary to our Catholic understanding of the gravity of war. And for heaven’s sake, let the arrogance and pride go for at least long enough to attempt to show the world that you understand what the Pope is saying.
A good balanced perspective. Well done.
Trump’s comments were over the top – vintage Trump. The Church is not at its best when it wades into secular politics. Pope Leo, as Pope Francis, wants to be a world player, although he claims he is not a politician. Secular politics is a nasty business and when you step into that arena and begin attacking particular countries and their policies, it is hard to avoid a reaction. Did Pope Leo think he could keep attacking Trump and the US and Donald Trump would remain silent?
Both men behaved badly. ”
I am waiting for the Vatican to denounce the Ayatollas, the leaders of Cuba, China, Nicaragua etc. for their human rights abuses and their religious liberty policies.
“I am waiting for the Vatican to denounce the Ayatollas, the leaders of Cuba, China, Nicaragua etc. for their human rights abuses and their religious liberty policies.”
Denouncing these groups would not advance the progressive narrative and agenda, so expect to hear nothing of the kind from Leo (aka Francis Jr.).
I agree with the decision concerning our military actions against Iran. Iran was one week away from becoming a nuclear power. You simply can not have that. But Trump’s total disrespect and arrogance toward the Pope simply demonstrates Trump’s immaturity, lack of character, and a complete lack of any spirituality in him. His wife is Catholic, and I hope she sits him down, and explains to her husband where his conduct is unacceptable. The lack of respect Trump showed the Pope, clearly demonstrates the lack of respect Trump has for himself. Disgraceful.
“As Pope Leo has made clear, we cannot stand by and allow the message of the Gospel to be abused,”
Should this also apply to Popes who abuse the Gospel for their socio/political/cultural revolutionary agenda?
The dictators, the mullahs, the socialists, the media… all those who hate Christ and hate Western Civilization, all of them LOVE Pope Leo. That says everything.
Trump is leading us to Sodom and Gomorrah. Are we getting paranoid with the separation of church and politics? I don’t see the “politics” in Pope Leo’s comments. He is addressing the humanitarian disaster of Trump’s awful worldwide war, which he started without the involvement of Congress in defiance of the Constitution he took an oath to defend.
Trump’s mental decline, given his hatred of anyone he sees as a threat to his madness for power, is vividly apparent today.
The Pope was reacting to Trump’s statement that he would mmmm a society.
“Trump is leading us to Sodom and Gomorrah.”
If he is, it’s because the two were already put in place by Obama and Biden.
Exactly. Thank you Mr. Olson.
Put simply a rebuttal of false equivalence does not cut the mustard in this case we are debating. While it is true that both sides of politics do not emulate nor serve the kingdom of heaven as Jesus has instructed his followers to do, there is verifiable and factual information available and on public record that should leave us in no doubt that serious issues need to be acknowledgedj, taken into serious consideration and addressed in a manner of urgency. These issues pertain to corruption and criminality involving a number of individuals close to the President who he has given leadership roles to and also including the President and his family. A dispassionate acknowledgement of the proper conduct of civic authority that conforms to established protocols of due process and the rule of law will leave any honest enquirer in no doubt that this Administration is in serious breach of its duty to serve the people of the United States above self service and the interests of outside influence be it international or corporate.
Most troubling are the individuals Trump has appointed who he had prior business relationships with who also have close ties to Epstein’s extensive network of individuals. Firstly of cohere is the president himself.
rTwo examples.
– Former Businessman and Fashion Model Agency owner Paolo Zampolli who claims to have introduced Trump to his present wife. His role in the Government is that of Ambassador, United States Special Representative for Global Partnerships
– Howard Lutnick
… and Trump associates who have close ties to Epstein:
-Steve Bannon
-Peter Thiel
Trum p is the Incumbent. If and when A Democrat president is in office equal scrutiny and accountability must be actioned. I am not interested in arguing one as priority over another in reference to these matters, rather the health of the governing proces and functions of democracy.
Also of concern is the involvement of unelected family( Jared Kushner ) in highly specialised peace negotiations while having vested interests pertaining to real estate development in the land of the Palestinians, now refused to rubble.
Then there are the documented accusations of insider trading occuring in the time just preceding major announcements by the President. Add to this the foray into crypto currency by the Presidents family resulting in an increase of wealth counted in the tens of millions….
All examples of a moral decadence in the person entrusted to serve the nation while upholding the highest of American ideals of leadership by example. Any and every administration is expected or should be expected to govern according to the noble principles that the Western Civilisation holds are informed by the principles of the Gospel while maintaining separation of Church and State
I missed the wording on The Pope was reacting to Trump’s statement that he would “obliterate a society.”
Vance offered his minion response. “The Pope should address religion, not politics. This fool is a recent convert to Catholicism. The Pope is addressing humanitarianism.
Wasn’t it “civilization” , not society?
Let me share this letter published by the President of Catholic Vote: Beware the tactics of the ‘evil’ one with whom we all ought be at war.
“There is no doubt that President Trump’s post insulting Pope Leo crossed, again, a line of decorum that plays an important part in diplomacy and sets the temperature for interactions between the two. Calls for an apology are well founded.
But we also need to reasonably evaluate the Vatican-vs.-Trump narrative: too many people are trying to turn a public disagreement into a grand showdown between the two.
That is false, and Catholics should reject it.
Archbishop Paul Coakley and Pope Leo himself, this morning, made the key point clear: the Pope is not a politician, not a partisan operator, and not a rival to the President of the United States. He is the Vicar of Christ. His role is to speak moral truth, defend human dignity, and call leaders to pursue peace.
The President needs to hear that in a way he understands.
Of course, some of the Pope’s statements may sound out of step with the tone, assumptions, or priorities of American politics. Fine. That does not mean he is “anti-American.” It does not mean he is attacking the United States. And it certainly does not mean Catholics should be manipulated into choosing between the Church and their country.
The Pope also needs to understand that many Americans view his interventions as overtly political and aligned with one side of the political spectrum. Catholics who have been paying attention note that no such condemnation of the loss of life through abortion ever came from Rome to Catholic President Joe Biden during the last pontificate, despite that evil ending millions of lives.
Enter Ambassador Brian Burch. As the founder and first president of CatholicVote, and now as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Burch is uniquely positioned to serve as a credible bridge between Washington and Rome. He understands the convictions, language, and concerns on both sides, and that gives him an especially important role at a moment when honest mediation, fair translation, and cooler heads are urgently needed.
What American Catholics should oppose is the deliberate effort to manufacture a large-scale confrontation between the Vatican and the United States, between Pope Leo and President Trump, or between fidelity to the Holy Father and love of country. Parts of the media are pushing that narrative. So are identifiable bad actors, including some inside the Church. They want conflict. They feed on confusion. And they benefit from division.
Catholics should be smarter than that.
There is no reason this disagreement should become a larger rupture. But it will if reckless voices keep treating every papal statement as a partisan attack and every political disagreement as proof of betrayal.
Once again, we must delineate between moral principles and the realm of politics.
But for now, let’s pray for wisdom for both leaders. And do not let others manufacture a conflict that does not have to exist.
Go forward bravely,
Kelsey sig gray
Kelsey Reinhardt
President & CEO
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“Stop! Itʼs time for peace! Sit at tables of dialogue and mediation, not at tables where rearmament is planned and death actions are deliberated,” he [ Pope Leo] continued.
I wonder why Israel didn’t think of this. Let’s just dialogue with Iran, even though they say they want to destroy us. Why not dialogue with Hamas, even though after their massacre of the Jews they said they did not want a two state solution, one Islam state, river to the sea. And the same with Hezbollah and the Houthis. All of this endless dialogue works great with Synodality, why not also between states?
Even a life-long Catholic pacifist has (most reluctantly) to applaud the decisive action by the US to block the intentions of the cruel & fanatical Iranian Islamic Revolutionists to make our world into a charnel house in their lunatic belief that this will make their Mardi materialize.
Iran, unhinged as it is now, is a very real & present threat to humanity.
Chinese & Russian support for the IRGC is the worst kind of malign mischief.
What the Israelis have had to put up with from these despotic nuclear-hungry nutters & their proxies, for so many years, is simply tragic. Every decent democratic person should be doing all they can to support Israel – the one hope for peace & democracy in the Middle East. There is no other.
Catholics now supporting the IRGC will live to bitterly regret that choice.
Always in the grace & mercy of King Jesus Christ; love & blessings from marty
Carl. I don’t see your protection of Pope Leo in light of Trump’s unhinged remarks. Your indictment of Presidents Obama and Biden reminds me of Trump’s exhausting and hateful rhetoric when he immorally labeled President Biden, who is suffering from cancer, “A walking corpse, and a a leftwing lunatic.”
The NEW Catholic, chastised Pope Leo this week when he said “He should stick to morals.” I find that remarkably contradictory. The New Catholic seems unaware that he is immorally enabling a boss who is seriously lacking in morals. “An idiot”, “reprehensible,” and “America’s Hitler” are just a few of the words the New Catholic had used to describe Donald Trump in 2016.
I like morals. I hope I’m not being immoral.
Watch this space.
Thanks.
Mr morgan, I had some very good news from a friend who has suffered from TDS.She “uncanceled” me for Easter.
I hope you get to feeling better soon too.
God bless!
The Pope’s trip to Algeria exemplifies his Christian approach to conflicts. Trump should follow his example instead of posting himself as a doctor healing patients (that is what he said he did with that post showing him healing a sick man surrounded by Red Cross workers; he denies he portrayed himself as Christ). Here are some excerpts of an article depicting the Pope exemplary trip to Algeria, where he demonstrates the effectiveness of his approach, which emphasizes dialogue and mutual respect for other people’s beliefs:
Pope Leo Refuses to Denounce Islamist Persecution of Algerian Christians
Pontiff’s Homage at Martyrs Memorial Sparks Controversy over Ethnic Cleansing of Catholic Pieds-Noirs
April 15, 2026
Pope Leo XIV has rebuffed efforts by freedom of religion advocates to focus his attention on the state-sanctioned Islamist persecution of Christians during his trip to Algeria on April 13-14, 2026.
The pontiff, who began a ten-day Africa tour with a visit to Algeria, honored Marxist and Muslim revolutionaries at the Martyrs’ Memorial, but did not visit the Tibhirine monastery on the thirtieth anniversary of the Islamist kidnapping and beheading of seven Trappist monks there.
French commentators underscored the irony of the papal genuflection at the Memorial, noting that Algeria’s war of independence resulted in the massacres and expulsion of one million pieds-noirs—mostly Algerian-born French Catholics.
On the eve of Leo’s flight to Algiers, the European Centre for Law and Justice spotlighted the oppression of Christians in Algeria, stating: “According to the Algerian Constitution, Islam is the state religion, leading the former president of the High Islamic Council to declare that ‘an Algerian can only be Muslim’ (2021).”
The pontiff ignored pleas urging him to intercede for religious freedom. “Algeria imposes a single identity, both Arab and Muslim, to the detriment of minorities, particularly Jews, Ahmadis, and Christians. In 2020, freedom of conscience was removed from the Constitution,” the petition, signed by political leaders, human rights experts, philosophers, jurists, writers, and exiled Algerians, warned.
Instead, addressing Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the pontiff appeared to renew his rhetoric against the United States and Israel, condemning the “constant violations of international law and neocolonial temptations.”
https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/pope-leo-refuses-to-denounce-islamist-persecution-of-algerian-christians
On several occasions Pope Leo openly criticized the Trump Administration’s immigration polices. His American Cardinals have kept that criticism going. Issues like Planned Parenthood or nuns being persecuted by the State of NY do not fit their agenda. And you have the Pope publicly announcing he met with Obama’s political guru – David Axelrod. Before Trump said a word about the Pope the Catholic Church has been lambasting the Trump Administration.
The just war debate tends to overlook that if the war is unjust many involved with it are caught up in the throes of sins against faith, hope and love, catching clerics who are counselling in favour for war. And anti-witness.