Pope Leo has inaugurated a new oratory style, full of firmness, during his tour in four African countries this week. He has intensified denunciations against war and inequalities, triggering sharp attacks from US President Donald Trump.
This change in rhetoric reflects Leo’s growing concern about the direction of global leadership, according to experts, after maintaining a relatively discreet profile for the first ten months of his papacy.
Trump initially called Leo “terrible” on Sunday, in an apparent response to the pope’s criticism of the US and Israel’s war on Iran. He reiterated his criticisms on Thursday, suggesting that the pope did not understand foreign policy issues.
The first American pope, speaking earlier today in Cameroon, stated that the world is “ravaged by a handful of tyrants,” without specifically naming individuals.
“Usually, popes and the Vatican show caution in international politics, preferring diplomacy to public blame,” said John Thavis, a retired Vatican correspondent who covered three pontificates.
Leo seems convinced that the world needs to hear an explicit condemnation of injustice and aggression, and he appears aware of being one of the few people with a global platform.
POPE PERCEIVED AS A MORAL LEADER ON THE WORLD STAGE
The pope, known for carefully weighing his words, refrained from commenting on the US until March, when he emerged as a fierce critic of the war in Iran.
He publicly mentioned Trump at the beginning of April, suggesting to find an exit strategy to end the conflict.
In Africa, the pontiff spoke much more firmly. During his speeches this week in Algeria and Cameroon, he warned that the whims of the wealthiest endanger peace and denounced international law violations by “neocolonial” world powers.
“Pope Leo asserts himself as a moral leader on a global scale,” said John Stowe, a bishop from Lexington, Kentucky, to Reuters.
Stowe, president of an American Catholic peace organization, emphasized that Leo’s recent messages carried more weight as they were delivered during a visit to Africa, “facing populations that have experienced war, violence, famine, and chronic poverty.”
POPE DOES NOT WANT TO INDULGE IN “TRUMPISM”
Popes have long embodied a moral voice on the world stage, loudly denouncing injustices. However, they generally strive to maintain the Church’s neutrality in global conflicts, allowing the Vatican to act as a mediator if requested.
This is a delicate balancing act to preserve.
Massimo Faggioli, a papal expert, cited the example of Pope Pius XII, who led a clandestine network to shelter Jews during the Holocaust but is criticized by some modern critics for not speaking out strongly enough against the ongoing genocide.
“The shadow of Pius XII still lingers,” said Faggioli, a professor at Trinity College Dublin, explaining why Leo might choose to speak more forcefully today.
“I don’t think he wants the Vatican to be accused of indulging in Trumpism just because he is American.”
LEO SPEAKS MORE DIRECTLY THAN HIS PREDECESSOR FRANCIS
Leo, former Cardinal Robert Prevost, spent decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru before becoming pope.
He lived through an intense period of internal conflict between the Peruvian government and the Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path, as tens of thousands perished in bloody clashes.
“In rural Peru, Prevost… witnessed the ravages of poverty, corruption, globalization of indifference, climate catastrophe, and government violence on populations,” explained Natalia Imperatori-Lee, a scholar at Fordham University.
“He is uniquely qualified to speak about the dangers of political corruption and violence,” she added.
Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, was from Argentina and was also known for his strong denunciations of conflicts. He too clashed with Trump, who once called him “disgraceful.”
With his comments this week, Thavis believed Leo may have spoken more forcefully than Francis or any other previous pope.
“Other popes, including John Paul II and Francis, have mentioned the dangers of ideological tyrannies and neocolonialism,” Thavis pointed out.
“But when Leo states that the world is ‘ravaged by a handful of tyrants,’ it seems to me like a much more direct challenge to the leaders of powerful nations.”
