MEDIA PAKUAN, ROME – Relations between the United States and the Vatican are at their lowest point after President Donald Trump launched an unusual verbal attack on the supreme leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV.
These tensions sparked strong reactions from close US allies, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
After remaining silent for a while, Meloni finally spoke out and called Trump’s rhetoric against the Pope “unacceptable.”
Attacks on Trump’s “Social Truth” and Controversial Claims
This dispute started with Trump’s sharp posts on his platform, Truth Social.
Trump accused Pope Leo XIV of being “soft on crime” and having a negative impact on global foreign policy.
It didn’t stop there, Trump even claimed unilaterally that the election of Pope Leo XIV had something to do with his presence in the US government.
“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” Trump claimed without evidence, labeling the Pope as a liberal who doesn’t believe in the rule of law.
Also Read: Vatican Announces Schedule for First Three Weeks of Pope Leo XIV: Marker of a New Era!
Italy is in a difficult position
As the leader of a country that surrounds the Vatican and a political ally of Trump, PM Giorgia Meloni is in a tight position.
However, pressure from the public and opposition parties made him have to choose a side.
“The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church. It is right and normal for him to call for peace,” said Meloni.
A similar tone came from Matteo Salvini who said Trump’s action of attacking the Pope was not a “smart” thing to do.
Pope Leo XIV’s Calm Response from the Air
Amidst a storm of criticism from Washington, Pope Leo XIV displayed extraordinary calm.
As he began his apostolic journey to Africa, the Pontifex responded to journalists’ questions on the plane to Algeria.
“I’m not afraid of the Trump administration, or of speaking out loud the Gospel message,” he said.
The Pope emphasized that his main focus was the fate of innocent people who suffered as a result of the conflict, especially regarding tensions in Iran, which he had previously harshly criticized.
Also Read: Meet Pope Leo XIV, the First Pope from the United States!
Surprising Historical Comparisons
Trump’s aggressiveness towards the Papal institution is considered very rare in modern political history. Catholic observer, Massimo Faggioli, even provided a fairly extreme comparison to describe this situation.
“Not even Hitler or Mussolini attacked the Pope directly and publicly like this,” Faggioli said, stressing how unusual a personal attack by a US president on a Vatican leader was.
Political Impact for the United States
This dispute is predicted to not only shake the diplomatic table, but also the voting map within the United States. Considering there are around 70 million Catholics in the US (around 20% of the population).
Trump’s sharp rhetoric risks alienating religious voters, including testing Vice President JD Vance, who is also a Catholic.
To date, the White House has stated that it has no intention of apologizing, indicating that the “cold war” between Washington and the Vatican is far from over.***
