Dan Cirucci: Pope VS POTUS: Did Vatican Set Collision Course?

Monday, April 13, 2026

Pope VS POTUS: Did Vatican Set Collision Course?

Maybe we should have known when Cardinal Robert Prevost was chosen to helm the Catholic Church nearly a year ago.

Maybe we should have detected a clear signal of this papacy's direction when the new Pope chose the name Leo, after Pope Leo XIII who styled himself an early champion of Catholic social justice. And maybe we should have seen what was quite clearly evident -- that this new man, though American, was in the mold of Pope Francis, was a portegê of his and came from the same South American missionary background.

But this was an American Pope -- the first ever -- and we were dazzled!

My goodness, he grew up near the middle of America, near Chicago and graduated from Villanova University right here in the Philly suburbs. "He's one of us," we told ouselves. "We'll have a real friend in the Vatican -- a friend in charge of the whole Church." That's what many of us thought.

And President Trump felt the same way. In fact, Trump described the election of Pope Leo as "such a great honor for our country to have an American pope" and added that he was "very happy" about it, calling it "absolutely great."

Things seemed cordial and most people expected Pope Leo to ease into his role, and like most of his predecessors, give everyone time to assess the transition and begin to understand where the Church might be heded.

It was not to be. Leo had other ideas and he began to speak out on a variety of issues, sometimes seemingly off the cuff, often in English and even while holding spontaneous media availabilities and news conferences. It was unparalleled. Let's racap:

May 2025: Pope Leo XIV is appointed, immediately setting a different tone than his predecessor, taking a more direct stance on US policies. Shortly thereafter, he urges U.S. bishops to back him up and speak with a unified voice on immigration, leading to a near-unanimous message against mass deportations
May 13, 2025: After it's revealed that Pope Leo's brother, Louis, a Florida resident is politically conservative and a supporter of President Trump who has voiced his support in social media posts, Louis at first defends his posts. But he's reportedly "made aware of the need for reduced public comment on sensitive issues" and quickly backs away.
Nov. 5, 2025: Pope Leo calls U.S. immigration raids in Minnesota "inhuman" and demands "deep reflection" from the Trump administration on its handling of migrants.
November 12, 2025: responding to the Pope's calls the US Conference of Catholic Bishops issues a "Special Message" condemning the Trump's Administration's deportation of illegals and opposing what it calls "the indiscriminate mass deportation of people."
Jan. 9, 2026: Pope Leo condemns the Trump administration's actions in Venezuela following the Jan. 3 capture of President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. Forces, calling it a "diplomacy of force". The Pope once again encourage further action from the Cardinals.
Feb. 18, 2026: The Vatican officially declines to join the Trump-proposed "Board of Peace" in Gaza, signalling a diplomatic rift.
Feb. 2026: Pope Leo XIV declines an invitation from Vice President JD Vance to attend the U.S. 250th-anniversary celebration on July 4, 2026, with the Vatican confirming he will not visit the U.S. that year. The Pope instead plans to visit Lampedusa, Italy, focusing on migrant issues
March 15, 2026: Pope Leo calls for a ceasefire in the US-Israel-Iran conflict, indirectly criticizing the escalation of violence.

March 29, 2026 (Palm Sunday): Pope Leo intensifies criticism, describing the war in Iran as a "spiral of violence" driven by the administration. He states that God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, emphasizing that such leaders have "hands full of blood"
April 7, 2026: Following intensification of the US/Israel conflict with Iran, Pope Leo labels US threats against the radical Islamic state "truly unacceptable".
April 9, 2026: In a move that raises eyebrows, Pope Leo meets privately with favid Axelrod, a liberal Democrat Jewish American and Fellow Chicagoan. Axelrod is a close advisor to former President Barack Obama and Obama's former Chief of Staff. The meeting reportedly discusses a possible future meeting between Obama and the Pope and the session extends longer than planned as the Pope keeps Italian Olympians waiting.
April 12, 2026: In an unprecedented move, a group of three US Cardinals goes on the CBS TV program "60 Minutes" to further lambast Trump, calling the Iran war "a war of choice" and "not a just war". They also again voice opposition to the deportation of illegal immigrants referring to a "crackdowns on immigration."

Mind you, this is not a complete list of every criticism, every jab and every salvo that this Pope and his Cardinals have leveled at the US and the Trump Administration.

The drumbeat has been quite steady, right from the start. And the Pope's pronouncements have been so intense and so sweeping that, we note again that at one point, he incredibly declared that "Jesus does not listen to prayers of those who wage war."

After remaining largely silent on the ongoing criticism from the Pope, the Cardinals and the Bishops, yesterday, President Trump responded and, to no one's surprise, he responded forcefully and directly.

Some would even suggest the response was long overdue.

Bottom line: You can't step into the political arena using your platform as Pope, Cardinal or Bishop and then complain (or attempt to shield yourself under your mitre) when you get political pushback. Or, as Barack Obama once said: "If you enter the arena, you should expect to get roughed up."

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About Dan Cirucci

He's been cited by the late Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed across all media.

He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog, a Save Jersey blog columnist, frequent guest on the Matt Rooney radio show and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also been a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and hosted The Advocates on RVN-TV.

Inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame, for many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates.

Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post, Broad and Liberty and other print and online platforms.

A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission.

He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award, the highest honor from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups.

In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. There he was one of the first teachers in the country to teach African-American history to inner city students. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Cirucci's passions include all things Italian, politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel.

He and his wife Carole have two grown children and seven grandchildren.

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