Pope Leo XIV has taken some heavy heat from President Donald Trump for his criticism of the war in Iran, among other issues. 

Last month, Trump criticized Leo on his social media platform Truth Social. Trump said, the pope is “WEAK on crime and terrible for Foreign Policy.” Trump also claimed Leo should “be thankful” for his leadership position, stating, “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”

However, many Americans support the pope, with 40% of them finding him to be favorable, according to a recent poll from ABC News, The Washington Post and Ipsos. Meanwhile, Trump’s approval rating has dropped in recent weeks, according to The Economist. The British news magazine — which has done a running tally of opinions about Trump, including his handling of foreign policy — found that 57% of Americans disapprove of him as of May 11.

Despite Trump’s criticism, on April 14, the pope voiced that he isn’t afraid of Trump or his administration. The pope declared to keep his word through the testament of Christ to fight for peace.  

William Cavanaugh, a Catholic studies professor at DePaul, said that Trump “directly attacking” Leo is unprecedented.

“We’ve never had a president who just attacks the pope, but this is just what he does,” Cavanaugh said. “There’s no way to disagree respectfully. He’ll just attack you.”

Trump has continued to criticize Leo for focusing on moral issues rather than the president’s political agenda. The president has even said the pope’s anti-war stance is “endangering Catholics.”

“The Pope’s opinion should be respected,” Cavanaugh said.

“There needs to be a voice that talks about public issues in a way that is morally based, rather than just based on grievances or self-interest or power.”

Jesse Arroyo, a member of DePaul’s Catholic Campus Ministry, said he valued the pope’s response to the war with Iran, as the comments aligned with his own moral values.

“He is just trying to spread the gospel, and that’s what he and all Christians are called to do,”  Arroyo said, a junior who’s majoring in criminology.

 Arroyo said he admires the pope for not being afraid to speak up in a difficult political climate.

Cavanaugh said in the past, St. John Paul II tried to build distance between the church and party politics. But he also often talked about the same moral issues Leo is addressing.

“The pope’s job is to put forth moral standards that ought to be paid attention to when you’re doing something as serious as killing people,” Cavanaugh said.

 Cavanaugh said he is in full support of the pope’s advocacy.

“The line between politics, morality, and religion is never clear,” Cavanaugh said.

“He’s speaking out for nonviolence, something that’s based in the teachings of Jesus.”

According to Catholic Stand, an online religion site written by clergy and lay leaders, the church has enacted three doctrinal principles on the connection between church and state. They state that the church and state should have their own independence and that the church should focus on salvation. When church and state issues can overlap, they must stay connected.

 Multiple popes have rejected the idea of the separation of church and state historically. Most popes have encouraged collaboration between the two, as society cannot live without religion as a guide to morality.

Previous popes who have agreed on the collaboration between church and state include Pope Pius X, John Paul, Pope Francis, and Pope Leo XIII.

Tyler Giron, a DePaul sophomore who is Catholic, disagrees with this sentiment. 

“One goal for the pope should be to stay as far away from politics as possible,” Giron said.

In a differing viewpoint, DePaul students have contrasting thoughts over the responsibilities of the pope.

Arroyo says church and state ought to “intersect,” claiming that because both “involve human life,” they both work toward “achieving the common good.”

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