‘Catholic’ Karoline Cornered on Pope’s Holy Warning to Trump
The Daily Beast • • general
Key Points:
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded sharply to Pope Leo XIV's condemnation of Donald Trump’s military operation in Iran, defending the administration's calls for prayer and support for U.S. service members.
- Pope Leo XIV criticized war during his Palm Sunday address, stating that Jesus rejects the prayers of those who wage war and urging de-escalation amid ongoing Middle East conflict.
- The Trump administration continues to frame its military campaign against Iran in moral and strategic terms, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth invoking biblical themes and plans for escalating ground operations underway.
- Pope Leo XIV has publicly and repeatedly called for peace, a ceasefire, and a ban on aerial bombing, marking an unprecedented sustained papal critique of an active American military campaign.
- Leavitt, a practicing Catholic, has previously clashed with the Vatican over issues including immigration policies and the Pope’s refusal to join Trump’s “Board of Peace,” highlighting ongoing tensions between the administration and the Vatican.
