Trump’s war on Pope Leo reveals what he doesn’t want us to talk about
As Pope Leo condemns the Iran war as unjust and warns against weaponizing religion, Trump fires back — shifting the debate from legality and morality to spectacle and personal attacks.
By Patrick McCormick | FāVS News Columnist
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News.
Donald Trump has attacked Pope Leo for criticizing his war in Iran. The American pope claims Trump’s war of choice is unjust because it was started recklessly, without legitimate authority, a just cause, proportionality or real probability of success.
Leo also condemns White House efforts to cast this illegal and dangerous war as blessed by Jesus and the Bible, chastising “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.”
And he has decried the president’s threats to destroy an entire civilization as an unacceptable and illegal demonstration of hatred.
Trump normally reacts to serious criticism of his policies with angry personal attacks. So, the president posted his disdain for Pope Leo, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy.”
Not bad for the only convicted felon to occupy the White House or pardon insurrectionists and cartel drug lords. And somewhat ironic for the president who has shredded our alliances, threatened to invade a NATO nation and mired us in another Mideast war.
Then our born-again Catholic vice president told the pope to stick to matters of morality. Again, nice from the outspoken opponent of unnecessary foreign entanglements who volunteered to shred his conscience if Trump wanted to wage this war.
Unable to fire, sue or prosecute Pope Leo as he has done with other critics, Trump turned to heckling and slandering the pastor of 1.4 billion Catholics, while wrapping himself and his war in Jesus’ mantle and robes.
Unsurprisingly, this excursion in pope-bashing and blasphemy has boomeranged, provoking disgust and outrage from Catholics and Christians across the political spectrum.
Still, Trump prefers a little mud from a theological dust up to any serious conversation about the injustice and criminality of his bombings and blockades. The pope wants a transparent dialogue and informed discussion about this war. Trump wants a mud-slinging brawl about anything else.
From the start, Trump refused to provide a consistent rationale justifying the Iran war, blurting out new and incredible responses each time the question was posed.
Ludicrous promises the war would liberate Iranians through a regime changing popular uprising soon evaporated. Claims of an imminent nuclear threat were contradicted by Trump’s intelligence directors and his own assertions about Iran’s “obliterated” nuclear arsenal.
And Trump’s whiplash-inducing announcements that the war was won and done except for the need to destroy an entire civilization demonstrated the war had neither a pilot nor purpose.
Without reasoned arguments for this unjustifiable war, Trump turned to inflammatory passions. Instead of a somber call to arms he posted video war games with Iranians obliterated like exploding bowling pins. And to make us feel righteous about this callous warmongering Trump and Hegseth framed their war as a holy crusade, blessed by Jesus and the Bible.
This “religious argument” began with military commanders claiming the attack on Iran would bring about a biblical apocalypse and Christ’s triumphant return. Next, Secretary of War Hegseth called on Jesus to give our troops “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy” and likened the rescue of a U.S. airman to Christ’s resurrection.
Then, on Easter morning (while Pope Leo was urging us to follow the forgiving, compassionate and entirely nonviolent path of Christ), Trump released a profanity-laced diatribe threatening apocalyptic hellfire on Iran before streaming images of himself as Jesus and Jesus’ beloved.
Crusade language and holy war framing
Ignore for a moment the inflammatory nature of Hegseth’s prayers and Trump’s diatribes and blasphemies. This president always derails our discourse and attention by throwing enraging and distracting stink bombs, and the war itself (like all the chaos he unleashes) is a distraction from things he does not want us to talk about.
Pope Leo wants to have a serious and transparent conversation about the legality and morality of this war. Trump wants us to have a brawl about blasphemy. The president’s increasingly erratic and violent behavior could indicate an unhinged mind, but it is also deeply consistent with an attention-grabbing manipulator who always wants to keep reasoned dialogue out of the room.
So, let’s not fuss about insults to the pope or Christianity. Leo is not afraid and will not be silenced. And Christians should be more troubled by Trump’s litany of crimes against women, immigrants, the poor and the planet than a midnight un-holy card.
Instead, let’s do what Trump does not want us to do — but the pope does. Let’s ask why Trump is wrapping himself and his war in the mantle of faith and why he wants to pick a barroom scuffle with the pope.
Trump has no reasoned arguments to support this war (or his wars on our cities or against Greenland, Cuba, or anyplace else). That’s why he made no case to Congress or the American people, and why he cannot allow the transparent and reasoned debate the pope calls for.
A challenge to Catholic conscience
Instead, he casts his unjust, illegal and insane war as a sacred crusade, using religious language and imagery to inflame a merciless and self-righteous wrath against Iran. And he portrays himself as the pope and Jesus because he wants the unquestioning loyalty offered to gods and the kings they anoint.
Pope Leo is not appealing to Trump’s conscience, but the consciences of millions of Trump’s Catholic supporters increasingly troubled by this senseless war. The pope is not asking these Catholics or anyone else to agree with him out of loyalty or religious obedience but challenging all of us to apply our reason and faith to a serious moral analysis and debate about this war — the one thing Trump does not want.
Pope Leo wants Catholics and Christians to consider the reasons this war is illegal, dangerous and unjust, and to ask what the Prince of Peace would really want them to do when their leaders call them to the merciless slaughter of their enemies.
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