A Lion in Springtime

It felt like a scene taken out of the Middle Ages—only much sillier. A political leader publicly calls out the pope for his lack of support for a particular military engagement. It riles up the faithful, who now feel conflicted between their country and their Faith. Finally, everyone demands some kind of response from the slighted pontiff, who then breezily dismisses the problem and continues his work of shepherding souls.

And so it was last Sunday, when Trump took the opportunity to rail against Pope Leo for being “WEAK” on issues like crime, nuclear deterrence, and Covid and daring to meet with “LOSER” David Axelrod, the adviser to former president Barack Obama. Trump was also upset that the pope has continually called for peace as military action continues in Iran and never properly thanked Trump for his removal of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. Moreover, he believes that Leo was elected pope “because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”

When pressed for comment, Pope Leo showed the serene confidence of a lion, declaring, “I have no fear of the Trump administration, nor speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, that’s what I believe I am called to do, what the Church is called to do.” At such a time, from such a man, in such a world, this statement was perfect. It exuded strength, resolve, and magnanimity. It was not a confusing word salad or partisan-inflected boilerplate; instead, it was a clear statement of that deeper truth: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Unimpressed and apparently in a mood, Trump went on to offend more people by posting an AI-generated picture of himself as Jesus descending from Heaven to heal the sick. After causing a stir, he deleted the post and said he thought “it was [him] as a doctor, and had to do with the Red Cross,” not the Messiah. Hopefully, this concludes what mostly amounts to a one-sided tiff between the president and the pope [Editor’s Note: Trump again criticized Pope Leo by name on Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning].

As Paul Kengor recently pointed out, President Trump’s real challenge is not from Pope Leo, who remains impartial in his pronouncements, but with the American cardinals who relish every opportunity to criticize not just the current war in Iran but also any and all attempts to secure the border and enforce immigration laws. If Trump directed his diatribe at Cardinal McElroy or Cardinal Cupich, he would have the overwhelming support of right-of-center American Catholics. These bishops really have shown weakness on a number of issues and only seem roused to action when it involves condemning conservative Americans or traditionalist Catholics.

Indeed, reining in the excesses of such bishops should merit sympathy for Pope Leo who is overseeing a massive transition happening in the Catholic Church today. On one side is the Old Guard, consisting of elderly leftists with a soft spot for authoritarian socialists, non-Western minorities, and moral and liturgical laxity; on the other side is an Avant-Garde, consisting of young conservatives and traditionalists with a soft spot for right-wing populists, Western majorities, and moral and liturgical rigor. It’s an odd time, where certain dioceses experience a boom in conversions, like in Philadelphia, while other dioceses must shut down churches because of declining attendance, like in Iowa.

Moreover, this transition runs parallel to the secular changes taking place across the globe. The progressive liberal order is currently giving way to a conservative populist reaction. This can be seen here in the United States, but this dynamic has also emerged in the rest of the developed world. No longer do people uncritically accept the premises of globalism, multiculturalism, and universal public entitlements. Many of them are pushing back against the great social costs, curtailing of freedoms, and erosion of identity and trust in their communities. And they are fed up with the elites and the institutions that support them.

On top of all this has been the metastasizing and malevolent influence of digital technology. While many people in the modern world seek meaning and opportunity in their lives, they are rendered helpless and impotent by their screens. So much talent and effort are utterly sapped by pornography, short-video platforms, and social media, and now all these addictive vices are being powered and enhanced by artificial intelligence. Millions of younger Catholics are being crippled spiritually and intellectually, with older generations only now realizing the scope of the problem.

This is the world which Pope Leo must confront. To maintain his authority, make positive changes, and keep his flock together, he is forced to navigate between two paths: one where he refuses to change anything and sides with an unsustainable status quo (the path Pope Francis chose) or one which dispenses with tradition, wages war with the elites, and disrupts the usual order of business (the path that President Trump tends to follow).

To his great credit, Pope Leo has largely succeeded in threading the eye of this particular needle. He has resisted the baiting of both Trump’s outbursts and the complaints of Francis’ leftist cronies, refusing to endorse any particular faction or party. While this may frustrate both sides, who demand more from him, it has kept the papacy and the Church as a whole safely above the fray.

Less than a year ago, when Pope Leo began his papacy, I assumed he would be a boring pope, avoiding controversies and exercising far more restraint and general competence than his predecessor. For the most part, I still feel vindicated by this assessment, but I was wrong to call Leo boring. In many ways, he continues to surprise me and others with his savvy leadership. He is proving to be an interesting pope and, thus far, a relatively effective one.