Kansas City archbishop: Pope a pastor, not a politician, as Trump attacks | Opinion
When I learned of the disagreement between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XlV over the war in Iran, I knew there would be clapback, but also confusion. Then came that AI image of Trump as Jesus, taken down after backlash Monday.
Lord have mercy.
The clapback? Pope Leo actually said something in return about Trump (not about the image), and then came some responses from the religious right on the side of the pope. My colleague David Mastio weighed on whether Trump is Jesus. (The correct answer is, “Hell, no,” he wrote.)
The confusion? How can those who are believers, but who also might have voted for Trump, cancel out the craziness? Should they?
I asked our own Archbishop Shawn McKnight of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas to help not only his flock, but also others, to understand how to take this dichotomy between the spiritual leader of the Catholic world and the president of the United States.
The archbishop said he was “deeply troubled” by the exchange, but that Pope Leo is a “pastor and not a politician, to promote peace in the world.” He also called the president’s remark “retaliatory.” I appreciated the archbishop speaking out on this bewildering attack from the president.
Let’s review what happened: The pope, in response to Trump’s call to destroy “a whole civilization” in Iran, said that “this threat against the whole population of Iran” was “really not acceptable.” He also called people to “reject war always.”
On Truth Social, Trump called him “weak on crime” and “catering to the Radical Left.”
Pope Leo responded boldly: “I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration, nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel. And that’s what I believe I am called here to do.” He also poked fun at the name of Trump’s social media platform.
“It’s ironic — the name of the site itself. Say no more.”
Archbishop McKnight is correct that Pope Leo is not a politician (no matter what other popes may have been), but I think we have to ask ourselves why Trump seems to be baiting the pope. Is it to gain the hearts and minds of the 53 million U.S. Catholics?
If so, that’s a risk to take. Axios reported today that risking support from Catholics, a crucial swing vote, for an attack on their faith might not turn out well. And, as a friend reminded me today, John Lennon comparing the Beatles to Jesus is what many people still believe tanked the band (as complicated as its ending was).
Is Trump shooting down the future of himself and his party? Trump’s teflon-ability has always amazed me, but we’ll see if this is the one issue he can’t fight.
Here, in its entirety, is the message from Archbishop McKnight:
“I am deeply troubled by the recent exchange between President Trump and Pope Leo XIV regarding the pope’s call to end the war in Iran.
“The Holy Father is fulfilling his moral duty, as a pastor and not a politician, to promote peace in the world. The retaliatory tone of the President’s response risks deepening division when we need unity. Even in heated disagreement, leadership should be civil, honoring the inherent dignity of the other made in the image and likeness of God.
“I invite all to pray that Pope Leo’s vision of peace is made manifest, and all sides charged with the responsibility to govern will find a way to lay down arms, respecting the dignity of human life by working for the common good and promoting human rights.
“May the Prince of Peace rule in our hearts. Amen.
“Most Rev. Archbishop Shawn McKnight, S.T.D.
“Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas”
