As President Donald Trump’s second term in office has played out, American-born Pope Leo XIV has been critical of his policies — specifically, when it comes to immigration and war.

The pontiff condemned the recent war in Iran, and after the president made the remark that a “whole civilization will die” the Pope labeled the comment “unacceptable.”

Tensions grew on Sunday when Trump said that he did not think Pope Leo was “doing a very good job” and said he is catering to the left.

The Duke spoke to Catholic studies professors and religious leaders at Duquesne University about the current tensions between the Vatican and the Trump administration.

‘Pope Leo has nothing to lose’

Popes have continuously expressed concerns about warfare, said Kenneth Parker, Ryan Endowed Chair for Newman Studies in the Catholic studies department at Duquesne. He cited criticisms from Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI over the Iraq war. But in those instances, he said former President George W. Bush never spoke disrespectfully about the pope.

He has never seen a negative interaction between an American president and pope of this scale.

“I think what’s important to recognize is that American presidents in the past when there have been disagreements about military action have simply spoken out of respect with the pope but recognizing that their roles in the world are different,” Parker said. “Trump doesn’t seem to make that distinction.”

In Vatican II, an encyclical proclaimed by Pope Paul VI in 1965 specifically declares that actions designed for the extermination of an entire people, nation or ethnic minority are criminal, James Swindal, professor of philosophy and Catholic studies at Duquesne said.

A condemnation coming today from Pope Leo is nothing new for the papacy to announce.

The Catholic Church has said that nations have the right to defend themselves in wars started by an aggressor once “every means of peaceful settlement has been exhausted,” Swindal said. Yet it holds that “having weapons of mass destruction goes beyond legitimate defense.”

“It’s an unprecedented situation for American politics,” said Edmund Lazzari, assistant coordinator of external programs and a teaching fellow in the Department of Catholic Studies.

This is a scenario that the pope and Vatican are familiar with, Lazzari said, noting the pope has been exiled by both Napoleon and the Italian Republicans.

“As far as how the pope sees it, this is just another hostile political ruler,” he said.

Lazzari said the pope does not address things politically, but instead addresses them in terms of morality and human dignity.

According to the Associated Press, Pope Leo said he doesn’t fear the Trump administration.

“Pope Leo has nothing to lose by standing up for Catholic morality,” Lazzari said. “Being a bishop gives you a sense that you may have to lay down your life for your people, and Pope Leo is prepared to do that.”

Choices from the Trump administration

The threat that came from Trump to annihilate Iranian civilization is deeply distressing because the president has access to a nuclear code, Parker said.

“I think it’s important to recognize that Pope Leo while being the head of the Roman Catholic Church and residing in Rome is sort of the moral counterbalance to what I think is increasingly recognized as an immoral government that is engaging in acts that dehumanize and marginalize people both domestically and abroad,” Parker said. “[Pope Leo’s] voice has an extra resonance because he was born here in the United States.”

The appeal for many Roman Catholics to vote for Trump was his overturning of Roe v. Wade, Parker said. According to AP VoteCast, Trump won 55% of Catholic voters.

“I think he underestimates the enduring loyalty that comes with that,” he said. “He’s implicitly creating a situation where Catholics feel that they have to make a choice in loyalty between the two. I think Trump will come out the loser in that comparison.”

Trump also might lose Catholic voters loyalty because of the state of the economy and immigration policies, Parker said.

The tensions between the White House and the Vatican have been growing since January. The Free Press reported that Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the pope’s U.S. representative, and Department of Defense officials met at the Pentagon in January. Officials criticized the Pope’s annual address to the Vatican’s diplomatic corps, denouncing conflict around the globe. They interpreted his remarks as an attack on the Trump administration.

The Free Press also reported that the American-born Pope declined an invitation to attend a White House celebration for America’s 250th anniversary.

“I think Leo recognizes that any papal visit would be construed or manipulated in press reports to be implicit acceptance of the Trump administration and its approach to policy,” Parker said.

The three U.S. cardinals interviewed during a “60 Minutes” episode strongly criticized the Trump administration’s use of military footage in almost video game-like fashion, finding it to be a misappropriation of art and entertainment. University Chaplain Bill Christy said this is important to recognize.

Trump took to Truth Social that night posting a picture that depicted him as a Jesus-like figure, laying his hand on a sick person as light came out of his hands.

Depicting himself like Jesus is a way to desensitize and belittle faith, Christy said.

“Why are you splicing bombing campaigns with video games and cartoons,” Christy said. “You desensitize the American public to what you are doing — taking lives. And when you’re criticizing the pope, and you’re criticizing religious opposition to what you are saying, and what you are doing as an administration, you desensitize the authority of that person.”

Kaitlyn Hughes can be reached at hughesk10@duq.edu