Donald Trump has been blasting Pope Leo XIV for criticizing the Iranian war. Trump administration officials and Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson have all started echoing Trumps line or trying to justify it. Vice President J.D. Vance said the Pope should be care of his theology.
Our Quote of the Day is this response from the Pope:
“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.” — Pope Leo XIV, April 16, 2026
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, writes a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.