Pope Leo and Trump Head for a Clash: Politico

The first American pope is on a collision course with U.S. President Donald Trump.

In recent months, migration has become the main combat zone between the liberal pope and U.S. conservatives. (Photo: © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk / Catholic Church England and Wales Flickr) 

The latest fault line between the Vatican and the White House emerged.

Shortly after Trump suggested his administration could “run” Venezuela, the Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV appeared at the Angelus window overlooking St. Peter’s Square to deliver an address calling for the safeguarding of the country’s “sovereignty,” Hannah Roberts reported for Politico.

For MAGA-aligned conservatives, this is now part of an unwelcome pattern.

While Leo is less combative in tone toward Trump than his predecessor, Francis, his priorities are rekindling familiar culture-war battles with the U.S. administration on issues such as immigration and deportations, LGBTQ+ rights, and climate change.

As the leader of a global community of 1.4 billion Catholics, Leo holds a rare position of influence to challenge Trump’s policies, and the U.S. president must tread with uncustomary caution in confronting him.

Trump traditionally relishes blasting critics with invective but has been unusually restrained in response to Leo’s criticism, in part because he counts a large number of Catholics among his core electorate.

“Leo is not looking for a fight like Francis, who sometimes enjoyed a fight,” said Chris White, author of Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy.

He added: “But while different in style, he is clearly a continuation of Francis in substance. Initially, there was a wait-and-see approach, but for many MAGA Catholics, Leo challenges core beliefs.”

In recent months, migration has become the main combat zone between the liberal pope and U.S. conservatives.

Leo called on his senior clergy to speak out on the need to protect vulnerable migrants, and U.S. bishops denounced the “dehumanizing rhetoric and violence” leveled at people targeted by Trump’s deportation policies.

Leo later went public with an appeal that migrants in the U.S. be treated “humanely” and “with dignity.”