Donald Trump needed just one phone interview to shatter any illusion of détente with the Vatican. The president, in an interview on the ultra-conservative Salem News Channel, once again attacked Pope Leo XIV: “I think he is putting many Catholics and many people in danger; for him, it is fine that Iran has a nuclear weapon.”
These are not new words, but they have provoked a response from the Pontiff, who stopped to speak with journalists, without prior notice, at the gates of the Castel Gandolfo residence: “If anyone wants to criticize me for announcing the Gospel, let them do so with the truth. The Church has been speaking out against all nuclear weapons for years.” An elegant way to underline the lie that the head of the White House has been repeating for almost a month now.
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These statements by Donald Trump also draw attention because of the timing. They occur, in fact, on the eve of the visit of the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who lands in Rome tomorrow; on Thursday he will meet with the Pope and on Friday with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
A mission that, according to many analysts, was supposed to serve to mend the relationship with the Holy See and with Italy. A goal — that of the Catholic Marco Rubio — which is not clear to what extent the president shares, in view of these words, received with some astonishment in the Vatican.
At the center of Thursday’s meeting will very likely be the issue of Cuba, where the Church has played a mediating role for years that could prove decisive at this stage, at a particularly delicate moment for the island. It is not ruled out that both parties will explore ways of understanding that allow reactivating that discreet channel of dialogue that has historically facilitated progress in contexts of deadlock.
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The Pontiff appeared surprised by the reactions to his repeated calls against the war: “I said it from the very first moment of my election — as we are about to mark the anniversary —: ‘Peace be with you’.”
The tension had been building for weeks. The Pope’s criticisms of the offensive in Iran and Lebanon, driven by the United States and Israel and intensified during Holy Week, irritated the White House. On April 12, when the Pontiff was about to start a trip to Africa, the president reacted with a message on Truth Social in which he labeled Prevost as “soft on crime” and “very deficient in foreign policy,” as well as “ungrateful,” “considering he was elected while I was in the White House.” A virtually unprecedented clash at that level.
The role of the Vatican
Cuba will be one of the focal points of Thursday’s meeting, with the Church as a possible mediator at this stage
During the flight to Algiers, the Pope responded without hesitation: “I am not afraid of the Trump administration,” he said, emphasizing that he speaks of peace “from the Gospel” and that he will continue to raise his voice against war, although without intending to open a direct debate with the president. Yesterday, however, he returned to the issue: “The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace.”
Meanwhile, diplomacy is trying to do its work. According to the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, a former enemy of Pope Francis, Thursday’s meeting between Leo XIV and Rubio will be “a frank conversation” about the policies of the Trump administration. “Nations have differences, and I think one of the ways to overcome them is through fraternity and authentic dialogue,” he told Reuters. “I think the secretary comes here with that spirit.”
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The problem is the spirit of those who remain in the United States.
