A Pope, A President, and Where Our Loyalties Lie...

I consider myself a conservative but a Catholic first. 

I like to say I’m a conservative Catholic, not a Catholic conservative, because my identity is rooted in the noun, not the adjective.

So, when a conservative president excoriates the Pope for being “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy,” as if he were just another politician, and not the spiritual father of 1.4 billion Catholics around the world, I was taken aback. In fact, I was upset.

Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly called for peace in Iran, throughout the Middle East, Ukraine, and Africa, something President Donald Trump has often said he supports. Trump has referred to himself as a “peacemaker” who has ended multiple wars.

Without getting into all the back-and-forth, which many have likely heard by now, including an AI-generated image Trump shared depicting himself as Jesus Christ, as well as the sharp exchanges that followed, suffice it to say the public sparring left a bitter taste in my mouth, and in the mouths of many Catholics.

Almost immediately, a firestorm of comments set social media ablaze, dividing people along familiar political lines. Anti-Catholic sentiments came out of the woodwork with disparaging attacks on Pope Leo and the Church. Even many Catholics were drawn into the fray and felt pressured to pick sides.

Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, said in an interview with Bret Baier on FOX News that while he appreciates the Pope speaking out, “I think that in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what is going on in the Catholic Church, and let the President of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.” In essence, suggesting that the Vatican should “stay in its lane.” I was very disappointed.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is a devout Catholic and a staunch supporter of President Trump, defended the Roman Pontiff and publicly rebuked the President’s comments as, “Unacceptable.”

The friction created a lot of internal turmoil, and maybe that’s where we, as Catholics, should pause. GK Chesterton once wrote, “I don’t need a church to tell me I’m wrong where I already know I’m wrong; I need a church to tell me I’m wrong where I think I’m right.”

I do not know whether military action in Iran was warranted. President Trump has more information than the Pope on that front. But regardless of the reasons behind the actions, the Pope’s role is to proclaim the Gospel, speak on matters of morality, and serve as a voice for peace, despite who it may rankle.

And Pope Leo’s message has been consistent. From his first words on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, he proclaimed, “Peace be with you.”  

But there was another aspect of this dispute that disturbed me. In a press availability outside the White House, President Trump stated, “I don’t want a pope who criticizes the President of the United States. I’m not a fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal person.”

Obviously, he has the right to his own opinions on who he likes and dislikes. He mentioned that he liked the Pope’s older brother, Louis "Lou" Prevost, who is a strong supporter. But, as for whether Pope Leo is “liberal,” the Pope is not a politician. While it has become common to label people as right or left, because politics has, for many, taken on the role of religion, the Pope is Catholic and the Church is not bound to political ideology.

Having lived through four pontificates, Pope Leo XIV strikes me, so far, as a balance between Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI, who approached public life and politics differently.

I loved Pope Benedict XVI. He was the pope during my reversion to the faith in 2006, though I did not fully appreciate him until his visit to the United States in 2008. I was struck by his humility and clarity. And, when I discovered his writings, I was captivated by his depth, his fidelity to Church doctrine, continuity, and tradition. I was crushed when he decided to step aside.

Then came Pope Francis in 2013. I wanted to embrace him with the same ardor as I had Benedict. He also came across as humble and charismatic, and far less scripted. But over time, I grew concerned about what often felt like an off-the-cuff style that sometimes led to confusion or required clarification.

He also seemed to create tension with more traditional clerics and with conservative Catholics, particularly in the United States. His critiques on consumerism, excess, and radical individualism (the me mentality) often landed hard in American culture. At times, he came across as more progressive than his predecessor, at least in tone and emphasis, and his efforts to restrict the Traditional Latin Mass, which was growing among young conservatives, created further division among the faithful.

Even so, I came to understand that many of his remarks were meant to challenge us, to disrupt complacency and confront self-righteousness. He was pointing us to God and not ourselves, away from comfort, ingrained dogmatisms, and political inclinations. Comfort can lead to complacency, and complacency can stunt spiritual growth.

As it states in the Book of Revelation, “I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” (Rev 3:15-17)

Despite the internal tension I sometimes felt during his pontificate, when he died, I could not help but cry. I had been praying for his recovery. Even knowing he was ill, I was not expecting his death so soon. I was overcome with grief. I prayed for his soul and for God's forgiveness for not loving him more.

Which brings us to Pope Leo XIV in May 2025. An American pope, something few expected. I had heard his name floated briefly among possible candidates for the papacy, but it was widely dismissed as unlikely because he was American. God has a great sense of humor. 

After what was, for many conservative Catholics in the United States, a challenging papal relationship, we got American Pope! God works in mysterious ways.

Pope Leo has quickly earned my admiration. Perhaps not yet at the level of Pope Benedict XVI, or even Pope John Paul II (whom I came to love through his writings), but he is growing on me. His reserved demeanor, measured approach, and apparent commitment to continuity and tradition remind me of Benedict in many ways.

So no, I do not see him as liberal or conservative. I see him as Catholic.

At a time when some seek to separate faith from public life for political reasons, I believe faith should inform every aspect of our lives, both private and public.

So, I stand with the Church, and I stand with the Pope. 

As St. Thomas More, who served King Henry VIII before being executed for refusing to break with the Church, said before his death, “I die the King’s good servant, but God’s first.”