00:00American-born Pope Leo may never return to the U.S. while Donald Trump is president.
00:05With Pope Leo only having been elected as leader of the Roman Catholic Church just under a year ago,
00:10on May 8, 2025, why have diplomatic tensions arisen so quickly?
00:15I'd like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice.
00:19Somebody made up a picture of me dressed like the Pope and they put it out on the internet.
00:23Actually, my wife thought it was cute. The Catholics loved it.
00:26Despite Donald Trump's antagonistic flippancy in certain public appearances,
00:31the most direct and leading clash appears to be over the moral and legal implications of the Iran war.
00:37On Tuesday 7 April, Trump posted on Truth Social that a whole civilization will die tonight.
00:43God bless the great people of Iran.
00:45Pope Leo publicly responded to the post, calling it truly unacceptable.
00:50This fundamental disagreement over war versus peace has been amping up since March,
00:55with Pope Leo repeatedly using an off-ramp to end the war,
00:58pushing for peace and negotiation over Trump's preference for a militaristic deterrence approach.
01:04Hopefully he's looking for a way to decrease the amount of violence, of bombing,
01:11which would be a significant contribution to removing the hatred that's been created and that's increasing.
01:21Donald Trump and his allies, especially US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth,
01:25have frequently used religious language or quote from the Bible to justify their military action,
01:30which doesn't appear to sit well with Pope Leo.
01:33May God watch over all of them, each day and each night.
01:38May his almighty and eternal arms of providence stretch over them and protect them
01:44and bring them peace in the name of Jesus Christ.
01:49Pope Leo pushed back strongly against the war rhetoric hooted over the Easter weekend,
01:53criticising the Pentagon for using religion to justify violence.
02:15The Pentagon was also angered by Pope Leo's criticism of Trump's new Don Road Doctrine,
02:21made back in his January address to diplomats.
02:24The Don Road Doctrine is an assertive American-first foreign policy
02:28aimed at establishing undisputed American dominance in the Western Hemisphere,
02:33involving the use of military, economic and political power to secure regional interests and resources.
02:40War is back in vogue, and the zeal for war is spreading.
02:44Peace is no longer sought as a gift and a desirable good in itself,
02:49or in the pursuit of the establishment of the ordered universe willed by God,
02:54with a more perfect form of justice among men and women.
02:59Instead, peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one's own dominion.
03:07After an unprecedented meeting with a Vatican official was called and a bitter lecture was delivered to the Vatican,
03:14warning them that the Pope cannot evoke hostile attacks on Trump's foreign policies,
03:19Pope Leo has now reportedly refused Trump's invitation to attend the nation's 250th anniversary events,
03:25according to a report by the Free Press.
03:28Instead of spending July the 4th in the U.S.,
03:30the Pope will instead visit Lambadusa,
03:33a small Mediterranean island that has become an entry point for African migrants attempting to reach Europe.
03:39Since the two-week ceasefire has been announced between the U.S. and Iran,
03:42Pope Leo has publicly stated his relief on the diffusion of tensions.
03:54But will the ceasefire be enough to repair the strange relations between Donald Trump and Pope Leo?
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