Pope Francis, who died in April at age 88, was sometimes scathing in his criticism of President Donald Trump.
In 2016, when Trump first ran for president, Francis said dismissively that someone “who thinks only about building walls” and not bridges is quite simply “not Christian.” As Trump’s second, nonconsecutive term got underway, Francis described his immigration crackdown as a “disgrace.”
The new pope, Leo XIV, has a relationship with Trump that is still developing. Leo has thrown out broad hints on social media, where Trump is sure to see them, that he devoutly desires peace in the Middle East and would look kindly on a leader who delivers that outcome.
“The situation in Iran and Israel has deteriorated drastically. I renew my appeal to responsibility and reason,” Leo said on social media on June 14, two days after Israel commenced a series of attacks to degrade Iran’s uranium enrichment, military coordination, and ballistic missile capabilities.
Leo added, as a likely sop to Israel over some of Tehran’s more unhinged pronouncements, “No one should ever threaten the existence of another.” Nevertheless, he called it the “duty of all countries to support the cause of peace.”
Over the next several days, Leo ratcheted up the peace pleadings. He called on the faithful to “oppose every form of violence and oppression” and to pray for peace, which he insisted is “not a utopian ideal.”
The pope went so far as to label competitive sports a “means of building peace.” Sports, you see, are a “training-ground of fairness and respect for others,” because they foster a “culture of encounter and fraternity.” (So, go White Sox?)
Leo has also offered up the Vatican as neutral ground for peace talks.
“The Holy See is willing to help enemies meet, so they may look each other in the eye and so people may be given back the dignity they deserve: the dignity of peace,” he said in a statement days after the College of Cardinals elected him in early May.
“With heart in hand, I say to the leaders of nations: let us meet; let us dialogue; let us negotiate!” the pope said.
Another way of putting that would be “let us make a deal,” which is how Trump tends to size up much of the Middle East.
Trump’s deal-making has included the Abraham Accords of his first term, an implicit Boeing plane for a better relations deal with the Qatari government, and entreaties to Iran.
Lately, Trump tried to ink a deal that would supply Iran with a significant amount of non-weapons-grade nuclear material for power generation. In exchange, Tehran would forever abandon its efforts to fashion nuclear weapons.
Trump has been blowing hot and cold on the deal’s possibility in the wake of Israel’s initial strikes and continued conflict with Iran.
“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left,” was Trump’s immediate public response to the attacks on Truth Social.
Yet, he also cast doubt on reports that he returned from the recent G7 summit to launch expedited peace talks, calling them “FAKE NEWS!”
Trump said on June 17, the same day Leo insisted peacemaking was not “utopian,” that Tehran “should have taken the deal that was on the table — Would have saved a lot of lives!!!”
However, Trump did say, “If they [Iranian leadership] want to talk they know how to reach me.”
Leo appears to have something that Trump wants that could help encourage peace talks: the cache that comes with being the first pope actually from America.
Trump called it an “honor” that the College of Cardinals chose a pope not just from the Americas, as Francis was, but from the United States. Born near Chicago as Robert Prevost, Leo was raised in the U.S. and educated here, has family here, and has other attachments to the country, including its sports.
Trump, who is nominally Presbyterian, said he looks forward to meeting Leo and hopes it will be a “very meaningful moment.”
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Trump has used Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, as an emissary to Rome. Vance was one of the last people to meet with Francis before his death. Vance also attended Leo’s inaugural Mass in May and gave him a letter after inviting him to the White House.
Given the gravity of current world events, it’s possible that Leo and Trump’s first meeting will be packed with more “meaning” than Trump bargained for.
Jeremy Lott is the author of The Warm Bucket Brigade: The Story of the American Vice Presidency.
