Goanet Digest, Vol 21, Issue 201

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Today's Topics:

   1. Read: "?Blessed Are the Peacemakers,? Pope Says Amid Standoff
      With Trump (Vivek Pinto)
   2. Read: "Pope Leo to Trump: ?I Have No Fear?" (Vivek Pinto)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:45:24 +0900
From: Vivek Pinto <[email protected]>
To: Goanet <[email protected]>
Subject: [Goanet] Read: "?Blessed Are the Peacemakers,? Pope Says Amid
	Standoff With Trump
Message-ID:
	<CAH3OY9wGLsczzO6bT5XFCA1hE=DH_=FqX0UtZcPSuyexg0fcmA-JsoAwUIsXosN+BqQ9rBEUg@public.gmane.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

By: Motoko Rich - Motoko Rich reported from Bamenda, Cameroon, where Pope
Leo spoke to local Catholics.
Published by: *The New York Times*
Date: April 16, 2026
For days, Pope Leo XIV has attracted criticism from President Trump and his
allies for refusing to back the war in Iran. On Thursday, he reiterated his
calls for peace.

Pope Leo XIV is not backing down.

Amid a growing dispute with the Trump administration over the legitimacy of
American attacks in Iran, Leo used a speech on Thursday in Cameroon to
express ?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.?

?Blessed are the peacemakers,? he said.

The pope was speaking in a region of Cameroon where separatists have been
clashing with the government
<https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/28/world/africa/cameroon-secession.html> for
a decade, and he praised local religious leaders seeking to end that
conflict.

But against the backdrop of American efforts to use Christian theology
<https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/us/just-war-vance-pope.html> to justify
the Iran campaign, the pope?s words seemed as directed at the Trump
administration as they were at separatist leaders and the government of
Paul Biya, 93, the world?s oldest president and an authoritarian who has
ruled Cameroon for more than 40 years.

The Trump administration has sought to portray its war in Iran as a ?just
war? backed by the will of God <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NrJU2aqGvQ>
 and Jesus Christ. Pope Leo has stridently disagreed
<https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/world/middleeast/pope-iran-war.html>,
saying previously that Jesus ?does not listen to the prayers of those who
wage war.?

That led to an extraordinary broadside
<https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/us/politics/trump-attacks-pope-leo.html>
 on Sunday from Mr. Trump, who attacked the pope on social media as
?terrible on foreign policy.?

On Monday, as the pope left for a tour through four countries in Africa, he
said he had ?no fear? of the Trump administration and would continue to
protest war and speak out ?loudly about the message of the Gospel.? The
Trump administration continued to needle him, with Vice President JD Vance
saying on Tuesday that Leo should be more ?careful when he talks about
matters of theology
<https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/us/politics/vance-pope-trump-georgia.html>
.?

On Wednesday, the pope traveled to Cameroon, where he immediately spoke
against the authoritarian rule of President Biya
<https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/world/africa/pope-leo-cameroon-africa.html>.
In a speech at the presidential palace on Wednesday, Leo said that ?public
authorities are called to serve as bridges, never as sources of division?
and that ?authentic peace arises when everyone feels protected, heard and
respected, when the law serves as a secure safeguard against the whims of
the rich and powerful.?

On Thursday, Leo traveled to Bamenda, an English-speaking region of
Cameroon, which is led by a French-speaking national government. A violent
secessionist movement centered in Bamenda has divided the country over the
past decade.

Although the pope has not referred specifically to Mr. Trump or his
administration since Monday, his words in Bamenda seemed to extend beyond
local conflicts in Cameroon.

?The masters of war,? he said, ?pretend not to know that it takes only a
moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is oft not enough to rebuild. They
turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing
and devastation.?
Motoko Rich is the Times bureau chief in Rome, where she covers Italy, the
Vatican and Greece.


------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:33:37 +0900
From: Vivek Pinto <[email protected]>
To: Goanet <[email protected]>
Subject: [Goanet] Read: "Pope Leo to Trump: ?I Have No Fear?"
Message-ID:
	<CAH3OY9wnORJFsv0OPNOz8F=UCdrR_iBK-S=wSMg_7ALYU7A44g-JsoAwUIsXosN+BqQ9rBEUg@public.gmane.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

By: Daniel J. Wakin -  Mr. Wakin is a senior staff editor for Opinion. He
reported from Rome.
Published in: *The New York Times*
Date: April 15, 2026

One world leader is immune to threats from President Trump.

He has no worries about jacked-up tariffs. His tiny spot of a state lacks
an Arctic land mass to be coveted. He?s not part of a military alliance
that can be sundered on a whim. A Venezuelan-style kidnapping is highly
unlikely. Taking on Mr. Trump, in a spiritual sort of way, can even be seen
as part of his job description.

This statesman ? the term is the least important part of his job portfolio
? is Pope Leo XIV, the Vicar of Christ, supreme pontiff of the universal
church and, especially after this week, the world?s strongest moral voice
against Mr. Trump?s war making. He is unburdened by the calculations other
heads of state have to consider in deciding whether to challenge or appease
a vengeful American president.

In fact, Leo?s stand is part of a much larger purpos
<https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/opinion/pope-leo-trump-world-order-peace.html>
e
<https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/opinion/pope-leo-trump-world-order-peace.html>:
to present a worldview in contrast, in all ways, to Trumpism. His comments
over the past year have reflected a deep-seated commitment to
multilateralism, the common good, decency, respectful debate and the rule
of law.

Even before his election nearly a year ago, Leo implicitly criticized the
Trump administration?s harsh immigration policies, and he has continued to
do so as pontiff. Over the past month, he has issued increasingly forceful
denunciations of Mr. Trump?s war in Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth?s
call
<https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/us/politics/hegseth-christianity-military.html>
 on Americans last month to pray for victory ?in the name of Jesus Christ?
seemed to genuinely anger him. God, Leo said
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/04/03/pope-leo-god-war-trump-peace/>
 on Palm Sunday, ?does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.?

After three American cardinals and close allies of Leo reinforced his
criticisms in a ?60 Minutes? interview on Sunday, Mr. Trump followed the
broadcast with a social media tirade
<https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116394704213456431> against
Leo, calling him ?Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons? and a caterer to
the ?Radical Left.? He said Leo should focus less on being a ?Politician.?
Even more American Catholic leaders then rallied
<https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/13/us/trump-news#section-460895537> to
support their pontiff. Mr. Trump refused to apologize.

As the standoff unfolded, tourists filled St. Peter?s Square in Vatican
City even as the pope, many of his close collaborators and the Vatican
press corps were flying to Africa. One non-Catholic American on vacation,
Marl?ne Williams, 71, of Parker, Colo., said she had been trying to avoid
the news but couldn?t help hearing about Mr. Trump?s comments. ?I?m not
happy, let?s just put it that way,? Ms. Williams said.

Some Vatican watchers said they could never recall such harsh public
comments uttered by a world leader about a pope in the Catholic Church, he
said, recalling that Leo?s first words as pope
<https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/world/europe/pope-leo-xiv-speech-transcript.html>
 from the balcony of St. Peter?s were, ?Peace be with you.?

The pope had his own swift response
<https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-04/pope-on-board-plane-to-algeria-i-am-not-a-politician.html>
 to Mr. Trump?s words. ?I am not a politician, and I do not want to enter
into a debate with him,? he said of the American president. The message of
the Gospel should not ?be abused, as some are doing.?

?I continue to speak strongly against war, seeking to promote peace,
dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems,?
he told reporters traveling with him on a plane to Algiers. ?Too many
people are suffering today, too many innocent lives have been lost, and I
believe someone must stand up and say there is a better way.?

Given that all recent popes have made cries for peace a regular part of the
job, what is special about Leo?s stand on the Iran war? His status as the
first American pope condemning an American war certainly makes it unique.
He also stands in contrast to other world leaders who have had to be more
circumspect given the cudgel in the White House; leaders of America?s
European allies have been more muted
<https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/11/business/europe-economy-trump-trade-iran.html>
 in their opposition to the war or have demonstrated their stand by
avoiding taking part in military action.

Some Vatican officials said Leo?s words held important nuances. ?He did not
attack Trump,? the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, under secretary for the Vatican?s
department of culture and education, told me. ?He attacked Trump?s logic.?

Father Spadaro said there was an indirect but immediate benefit of Mr.
Trump?s papal excoriation: He unified the sharply divided left and right of
the American bishops into coming to the pope?s defense. ?It?s a kind of
miracle,? he said, perched on a reception room couch in Vatican offices. He
said he has detected in Leo, as the war has progressed, a greater sense of
comfort in being ?more straightforward? in his critiques.

Leo has shown himself to be a reserved, measured and careful person.
Similarly, the Vatican in its foreign affairs operates according to
ingrained ? sometimes plodding, often imperfect ? traditions of diplomacy,
dialogue, mediation and persuasion. The contrast with Mr. Trump and his
administration could not be greater.

?His statements have a very important political impact in the world, and he
knows that very well,? said Father Puig, the university rector.

Leo?s predecessor, Francis, was seen by many as a moral beacon by those
?who desperately seek a light inside the darkness of Donald Trump,? David
Gibson wrote
<https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/opinion/pope-francis-hospital-trump.html>
 in these pages a year ago. He posed the question of who might succeed
Francis in this role.

The answer now seems clear.
Daniel J. Wakin has been a reporter and editor at The Times for more than
two decades. He is the author of ?The Man With the Sawed-Off Leg and Other
Tales of a New York City Block.?


End of Goanet Digest, Vol 21, Issue 201
***************************************