To respond to Pope Leon XIV’s criticisms of the war in Iran, Donald Trump’s entourage did nothing better than to trigger a theological dispute.
Vice President JD Vance, a recent convert to Catholicism, advised the first American pope in history to be “prudent” when speaking about theology, a statement that may come as a surprise! And the President of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, expressed being “amazed” by the pope’s statements and opposed him with the doctrine of “just war”.
A dispute on religious grounds
After the uproar caused by the image of Donald Trump as Jesus, which was removed, sparking accusations of blasphemy and even of being the antichrist, the controversy continued. During his trip to Africa, the pope made a new reference, shared on the Pontifical social media accounts: “Woe to those who distort religion and the name of God for their own military, economic and political ends, reigning over what is holy in what is the filthiest and darkest.”
While it is not surprising that the theocratic regime of Tehran invokes religion in its war proclamations, it was not obvious to hear the religious tones that the American war takes on.
The pope is obviously fulfilling his role when he calls for peace in the Middle East, but it cannot be excluded that he was a bit annoyed to hear divine will invoked in Trump administration’s statements justifying this divisive war in American public opinion. The most surprising aspect is to hear Republicans counterattacking on the theological ground, supposedly the specialty of the head of the Catholic Church.
The controversy surrounding “just war”
So when Mike Johnson invokes the doctrine of “just war,” he thinks he is making a point by referring to a concept not unique to Christianity, but rather adopted by Saint Augustine in the 4th century. The issue is that the Church abandoned it -confirmed by an encyclical from Pope Francis- and that international law, which is supposed to govern relations between states, does not recognize it.
Enhanced pontifical stature
The great paradox of Donald Trump’s and his entourage’s attacks is that they have given Pope Leon XIV a stature he had not yet acquired, less than a year after succeeding Pope Francis.
The excesses of Trump, and especially this image generated by artificial intelligence that shocked many Christians in the United States, particularly the 53 million Catholics, have given favorable attention to the pontifical word. They have made the pope the number one opponent of this transgressive president, at least not on the political field, but on the moral one, where Trump is most vulnerable.
By declaring to accompanying journalists “I am not afraid of this administration,” the American pope reveals himself to be braver than many heads of state who dare not confront Donald Trump for fear of the consequences for their relations with the United States. The leader of the Catholic Church does not have these concerns, and he offers “moral coverage” to those who hesitate. Donald Trump made a major mistake by taking on this American pope: he has created a formidable adversary.
