Sparks fly between the US and the Vatican. The American pope is not afraid of Trump
The first American pope found himself on a collision course with US President Donald Trump.
The latest dividing line between the Vatican and the White House emerged on Sunday. Shortly after Trump suggested his administration could “manage” Venezuela, Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV appeared at a window overlooking St. Peter's Square. Peter's Square to deliver a speech calling for the protection of the country's “sovereignty.”
For MAGA-supporting conservatives, this is part of an undesirable pattern. While Leo XIV is less combative toward Trump than Francis, his priorities are reigniting familiar culture war disagreements with the U.S. administration over issues such as immigration, deportations, LGBTQ+ rights and climate change.
As the leader of a global community of 1.4 billion Catholics, Leo XIV is in a unique position to effectively challenge Trump's policies.. And the US president must be extremely careful when confronting him. He knows this perfectly well, as can be seen in his approach to the priest.
Trump likes to attack his critics with insults. But Leon has been unusually reserved in response to criticism — probably partly because his core voters include many Catholics.
— [Leon XIV] he doesn't look for a fight, like Francis, who sometimes liked to argue, says Chris White, author of “Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy” [Papież Leon XIV: Wewnątrz konklawe i początek nowego papiestwa]. — Although it differs in style, in terms of content it clearly continues the line of Francis. He initially took a wait-and-see attitude, but now challenges the core beliefs of many pro-MAGA Catholics.
Disputed topics
In recent months, migration has become a high-profile battleground between the liberal pope and American conservatives. Leo XIV called on senior clergy to speak out on the need to protect vulnerable migrants, and U.S. bishops condemned “dehumanizing rhetoric and violence” against those targeted by Trump's deportation policy. The pope later made a public appeal to his administration that migrants in the United States be treated “humanely” and “with dignity.”
The pope's support has emboldened Florida bishops to call for a suspension of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids over Christmas. “Don't be the Grinch who stole Christmas,” said Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami.
Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican, January 7, 2026.Vatican Pool / Contributor / Getty Images
As if evidence were needed to polarize U.S. public opinion on the issue, the Department of Homeland Security called the arrests a “Christmas gift to the American people.”
Pope Leo XIV also ostentatiously removed Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Trump's preferred papal candidate and a favorite of the conservative Fox News network, from the key position of archbishop of New York. He replaced him with a bishop known for his pro-immigrant views.
A sensitive point
This all goes to the heart of the moral dilemma of the divided Catholic community in the United States. For Trump, Catholics are not a marginal group – according to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, they constitute 22 percent. his electorate. Although the pope appeals to liberal ideas, many MAGA Catholics take a much stricter stance on issues such as migration, sexuality and climate change. For his critics from the conservative Catholic MAGA camp, such as former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, the pope is almost anathema.
Last year, he blessed a piece of ice from Greenland and criticized political leaders who ignore climate change. He also said that supporters of the death penalty cannot credibly claim to be pro-life supporters and added that Christians and Muslims can be friends. He also expressed a more tolerant stance towards LGBTQ+ Catholics, allowing their pilgrimage to St. Peter's Basilica. Peter.
So it's no surprise that Laura Loomer, Trump's confidant and a supporter of conspiracy theories, she called Leon a “woke Marxist pope”. Conservative Catholics who support Trump have condemned him, calling him a “secularist,” a “globalist” and even an “apostate.” Far-right commentator Jack Posobiec called him an “anti-Trumpist.”
“Some popes are a blessing. Some popes are a penance,” Posobiec wrote on the X website.
Careful balancing act
Initially, there was hope that Leon would build bridges with American radicals. After all, he is an American – he wears an Apple Watch and is interested in baseball, and American Catholics cannot consider him an alien, unlike his Argentine predecessor. He was often portrayed as anti-American and shaped by the policies of poorer countries. Pope Leo is not easily dismissed.
At the beginning of his pontificate, he also gave signs that he wanted to stabilize the Church after years of internal conflicts. He made several gestures towards conservatives, including allowing: to celebrate Latin Mass in the Basilica of St. Peter and put on more ornate papal robes. This, however, did not calm down traditionalists.
Benjamin Harnwell, Vatican correspondent for the War Room podcast with ties to the MAGA movement, said conservatives were immediately skeptical of Leo XIV. “From day one, we have told our supporters to be careful: not to be deceived,” he said, adding that Leo XIV “fully supports Francis' program, but is more strategic and intelligent.”
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After the conclave that elected him pope, former Trump strategist Steve Bannon told POLITICO that the election of Leo XIV was “the worst choice for pro-MAGA Catholics” and “a vote against Trump by globalists in the Curia.”
Trump has long been in conflict with Francis, who condemned the US president's construction of a border wall and criticized his migration policy. Francis seemed to enjoy these arguments. Leo XIV, however, has a completely different character. He is naturally more reserved and avoids confrontation. However, his determination to defend what he sees as unquestionable moral principles, especially the protection of the weak, increasingly clashes with the basic tenets of Trumpism.
Trump played an important role during the conclave – an artificial intelligence-generated video depicted him as pope. Some Vatican experts considered the gesture a “mafia” warning to the cardinals to choose someone who would not criticize him, wrote Vatican observer Elisabetta Pique in the book “The Election of Pope Leo XIV: Pope Francis' Last Surprise.”
Papal supremacy
According to a Vatican official, the American's election as pope was not dictated by his anti-Trump attitude. Many cardinals probably found his nationality “reassuring”, suggesting that he would be responsible and transparent in his management and finances.
Although Leo XIV does not appear to be actively seeking a confrontation with Trump, their worldviews seem irreconcilable.
– He will avoid personal references – says the same Vatican official. — He will preach the teachings of the Church, not in reaction to [działania] Trump, but as something he would have said anyway.
Despite attacks by Trump's allies on Leo XIV the Republican seems cautious about direct confrontation. When asked about the pope in an interview with POLITICO, he was more willing to talk about meeting his brother in Florida — calling him a “serious MAGA supporter.” When pressed about whether he would meet the pope himself, he finally answered. – Of course. Why not?
Pope Leo XIV giving his blessing, Vatican, January 4, 2026.Vatican Pool / Contributor / Getty Images
The potential for conflict will increase when Leo XIV hosts a summit called an extraordinary consistory, the first of its kind since 2014, to develop a plan of action and the future direction of the Church. His first publication on social issues such as inequality and migration is also expected in the next few months.
– He'll use it [szczyt]to talk about how he sees the future, says a diplomat delegated to the Vatican. “It'll give his colleagues an idea of where he's going. He can use this as a forum for consultation or ask them to propose solutions.
Although it is unknown what views he will present, it is safe to assume that he will not create a program consistent with the rhetoric of the MAGA movement. The final balance of power may favor the Pope.
Trump must take into account Catholic voters and the political clock. Elected for life, Leon has no such “limitations”. The 70-year-old tennis fan in good health appears capable of shaping Catholic policy long after the Trump era has passed.
“He's in no hurry,” says a Vatican official. — Time is on his side.
