By Louise Mathews
My dear Wormwood,
Be sure that the patient remains … fixated on politics. Arguments, political gossip, and obsessing on the faults of people …serve as an excellent distraction from advancing in personal virtue, character, and the things the patient can control. Make sure to keep the patient in a constant state of angst, frustration, and general disdain towards the rest of the human race … — Uncle Screwtape
In “The Screwtape Letters,” C.S. Lewis wrote advice from an experienced devil, Screwtape, to his devil nephew, Wormwood. The “patient” is any human being who listens to the news. Screwtape and Wormwood were really busy during the last few weeks.
Recently, some news cycles kept bringing up the “feud” between Pope Leo XIV and President Trump. Some of the events that created this imbroglio began on April 7. President Trump threatened the Iranian regime with destruction of their civilization if it did not enter into a ceasefire. This extreme intimidation was probably designed to force whichever Iranian who was then in charge to enter negotiations. The President gave a very short deadline for a response.
Into this nailbiter, Pope Leo XIV opined that Trump’s threats of annihilation were “truly unacceptable.” He called on “all people” to “reject war, especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war.” The Pope stepped out of his role as religious leader and into the political arena when he further stated, “I would like to invite everyone to pray, but also to seek ways to communicate — perhaps with Congressmen, with authorities, saying that we don’t want war; we want peace.”
Once the Iranians agreed to a ceasefire, Mr. Trump charged like a bull at a matador calling the Pope “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy.” The Internet lit up with continuous commentary. Reporters kept prodding for a jibe.
On Sunday, April 12, cardinal archbishops from Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Newark lambasted Mr. Trump’s Iran War and immigration policies on 60 Minutes.
Later, Pope Leo asserted that he is not political. Yet, on April 9, the Pope met with Democrat super-operative David Axelrod. Mr. Axelrod stated the meeting was planned months ago. However, this meeting, happening in the midst of a contretemps between Pope and President, gave the appearance that Pope Leo may be putting his thumb on the scale of America’s forthcoming election.
When he was Cardinal Robert Prevost, Pope Leo often posted articles on X, formerly Twitter, that criticized Mr. Trump’s immigration policies. The day after his papal election, the “drprevost” X account was deleted. Some pundits claim that President Trump has resurrected those tweets, and his reaction to Pope’s Leo’s statement, at a sensitive time in the Iran war, was prompted by the Pope’s past disapproval as well as current censure.
Mr. Axelrod may have been meeting with the Pope to lay groundwork for a photogenic meeting with Barack Obama. In an election year, a warm meeting between Pope Leo and the former President could sway some undecided voters.
President Trump’s statements about the Pope and his comments were disrespectful and rude. Although he did cross a line, the Pope’s mission is the promotion of peace, unity, and hope in the world. He is not just another “pol.” Mr. Trump failed to give him the esteem his position demands. Many Catholic leaders have called for the President to apologize.
To add insult to the injury he caused himself, the President posted an image of himself as the Almost Divine Healer. Many people cried “blasphemy!” Immediately after the image was posted, it was taken down, but it was up long enough to be copied.
This unnecessary post of the “what was he thinking?” variety, has further alienated some Christian supporters who were already rattled by the President’s never-ending hubris. As Mama always said, “Pride goeth before the fall.”
Having an ongoing clash with the Pope will serve neither the President nor the Vatican. As a spiritual father, the Pope must work for reconciliation. Pope Leo could recognize that, as painful as it is right now, the successful outcome of Operation Epic Fury will be peace in the perpetually war-torn Middle East. His Holiness might also acknowledge that pacifism is not the same thing as peace. Sometimes force must be employed for the good to smite the thoroughly evil like Iran’s leaders for peace to be established. Just look at the Books of Joshua and Judges.
Mr. Trump must recognize the utility of peace with the Pope if he plans to retain Catholic voter support in November 2026. Apologizing would go a long way to rehabilitating his image. No one is asking him to kneel on the church steps in Canossa and ask the Pope for forgiveness as Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV did in 1077. A simple expression of regret and sorrow would do. Maybe the President should send Secretary Marco Rubio to the Vatican for some quiet talks.
Mr. Trump also needs someone to review his posts before he puts them on Truth Social. He may have thought his Almost Divine Healer post showed him doctoring the U.S., as he said, because he did not look at it long enough to realize the implications. The President needs just enough humility to get a trusted person’s opinion before he presses “enter.” All of the non-progressives who cherish the Declaration of Independence and what it stands for depend on him.
Louise Mathews retired from a career in community colleges and before that, theater. A 13-year come-here in Beaufort, she has been a dingbatter in North Carolina and an upstater from New York.