US Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch said he intended to focus on the issues that unite President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV in promoting relations between the two leaders, rather than recent disagreements about the Iran war.
“As U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, my efforts are many, but one of the roles as a diplomat is to remind stakeholders of what unites us and what should never divide us,” Burch said after delivering remarks on the persecution of Nigerian Christians at the U.S. Embassy at the Vatican in Rome.
Burch said, “We shouldn’t pretend there aren’t disagreements” because “clearly there are,” but added: “We should also remember what they share in common.”
“Both men are driven by an unwavering belief in protecting the innocent,” he said. “One American leads with the sword and shield of power, the other with the cross of sacrificial love. But both are saying in their own language: ‘Evil must not triumph and innocence must not be forsaken.'”
Leo has urged peace in the war between the US and Iran, which has left more than 3,000 people dead in more than a month, including more than 150 children at a girls’ school in Minab and at least 15 US soldiers. Both sides have agreed to a temporary ceasefire.
Trump has made negative comments about Leo, calling him “weak on crime and terrible at foreign policy.” He said: “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job” and “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.” the pontiff said He has “no fear of the Trump administration nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the gospel” and stressed that he is “not a politician” and has no interest in debating the president.
The President falsely claimed that Leo had said that “Iran may have a nuclear weapon.” The Holy Father has warned against nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and has spoken widely about nuclear weapons.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers’
Bishop Michael Duca of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, wrote a message on April 16 titled “blessed are the peacemakersIn which he urged Catholics to pray for peace and warned against treating the Pope as if he were a partisan political figure.
Duca described Trump’s rhetoric as “troubling because it risks turning the Holy Father into a partisan figure and deepening divisions in an already fractured world” and stressed that the Pope “is not a politician.”
He said, “He is a pastor of Jesus Christ, commissioned to preach the gospel ‘in season and out of season’, and challenges all people – regardless of nation or office – to measure their words and actions against the truth of Jesus Christ revealed in the gospel.” “The Church always wishes to speak for the dignity of the human person, the sanctity of life and the urgent call for peace.”
Duca warned Catholics not to “get caught in a constant cycle of outrage fueled by social media and instantaneous news.”
“Instead, I urge you to stay,” he said. “Do not resort to manufactured conflict or allow yourself to be consumed by voices that profit from division. As Christians, there is only one voice we must walk above all others – the voice of Jesus Christ, which echoes through His Church.”
The bishop said that previous popes, such as St. John Paul II, “spoke with moral clarity in times of extraordinary global tension” and the pontiffs “spoke words that had pastoral appeal, were rooted in the Gospel, and were imbued with profound love for the human family.” He said Leo speaks “in the same tradition”.
“He calls our hearts back to the difficult and sacred work of dialogue, encounter and reconciliation,” he said. “As urged in the scriptures themselves, and as urged by previous Popes, our call remains the same – ‘Do not be afraid.’ Don’t be afraid to choose peace over pride, dialogue over condemnation, and unity over division.”
Duca urged Catholics to “join me in praying sincerely for peace in our world, wisdom among our leaders, and hearts open to conversion.” He said to “respond as a witness” in all places and “preach the gospel not just with words but with a life marked by listening, mutual respect and charity – especially toward those with whom you disagree.”
“Finally, respond with hope,” he said. “The Church has endured far greater storms than the present moment. Guided by the Holy Spirit, she continues to proclaim a culture of life in the face of a culture of death and a culture of hope that does not disappoint. When we remain steadfast in Christ, the noise of the world loses its power over us.”
Bishop: ‘Pray for peace’
Created by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) a post on x The Catechism of the Catholic Church breaks down what it teaches about just war doctrine after Vice President J.D. Vance challenged Pope Leo XIV’s statements about war.
“Legitimate defense by military force requires rigorous consideration of strict conditions,” the post reads. “The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to strict conditions of moral validity.”
It states that there must be a justifiable reason for the harm caused by an aggressor that is “permanent, serious and definite”, all other means of reducing the danger must be “proven impracticable and ineffective”, there must be “serious prospects of success”, and war must not “produce evils and disorders more serious than the evil sought to be eliminated.”
On the last point, Bishop says, “The power of modern means of destruction is very important in evaluating this situation.”
To justify a war, every condition of the just war criteria must be met.
“These are traditional elements of what is called ‘just war’ doctrine,” says Bishop. “The evaluation of these situations for moral validity belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good.”
Bishop explains that “all citizens and all governments are obliged to work to avoid war.” If war is necessary, “Governments cannot be denied the right to legitimate self-defense once all peace efforts have failed,” he says. quoting the catechism directly.
Additionally, Bishop quote catechism Regarding moral laws during war: “The mere fact that war has regrettably broken out does not mean that everything has become legal between the warring parties.”
The bishops asked everyone to “pray for peace.”
Ishmael Adebuah contributed to this story.
