Lynn Schmidt: Trump's screed against the pope desecrates our Catholic faith

Lynn Schmidt, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Apr 15, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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As an American Catholic who has sat in a church pew my entire life, received the Holy Eucharist, marked more than 50 Lents with ashes, and been taught from childhood that the pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth, I never thought I would have to say this: The president of the United States has no business attacking our Holy Father — and even less depicting himself as Jesus Christ.

This is not about partisan politics or "Trump Derangement Syndrome." I understand the appeal of a leader who projects strength and promises order. But what happened Sunday night was not politics. It was something far more unsettling — a desecration of the faith that tens of millions of Americans, including many of his own supporters, hold sacred.

On Sunday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to post a 334-word screed that began by calling Pope Leo XIV “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” and accused him of “catering to the Radical Left.”

Trump claimed credit for the pope's election, writing, “If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican.” He added that he prefers the pope's brother Louis because Louis is “all MAGA.”

What had Pope Leo done to earn Trump's wrath? He presided over a globally broadcast prayer vigil for peace at St. Peter's Basilica, where he denounced a “delusion of omnipotence” fueling the war in Iran. He called on leaders to stop the killing, saying that “too many innocent people are being killed” and that “someone has to stand up and say there's a better way.”

This is not radical leftism. This is the Gospel. Matthew 5:9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” It does not say, “except when the president disagrees.”

Pope Leo responded with exactly the dignity and courage his office demands. Speaking to reporters aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria, he said plainly: “I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do.”

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said he was “disheartened” by Trump's attack, defending the Pontiff as the Vicar of Christ who speaks for the Gospel and the care of souls. I share that grief, and then some.

St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski released the following statement to his flock: “As Catholics, we look to Pope Leo XIV for guidance, pastoral care, and spiritual leadership. In being ever faithful to the Gospel, the Holy Father challenges us to bring the light of our faith in Christ to the world in these trying times. President Donald Trump's crass comments are hurtful in light of Pope Leo’s clear moral voice in addressing both the horrors and fruitlessness of war with Iran.”

For many Christians, what came next was worse.

Trump re-posted an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ, in a traditional white robe, healing a man, surrounded by adoring figures, including a nurse and a soldier, with eagles and fighter jets in the background.

He posted it without comment, as though it spoke for itself. Perhaps it did.

For the 70 million American Catholics who receive the Eucharist, who confess our sins to a priest, who understand what it means to stand before the crucifix — this image is not a joke. It is not trolling. It is a man wrapping himself in the body of our Lord to lend himself divine authority.

This is precisely what the Church has always warned against: the conflation of earthly power with sacred power, the idol made in the image of the state.

Trump now says the image, which has been taken down, was meant to show him as "a doctor.”

Mr. President, you are the leader of our country, and that office commands respect. But you are not my spiritual leader. Jesus Christ is. Pope Leo XIV is. Their authority over my soul does not require your approval, your endorsement, or your score of partisan loyalty.

No president — not this one, not any — should stand between a Catholic and their faith.

To my fellow Catholics who have supported this president: you can continue to believe in his policies. That is your right as a citizen. But please — do not let your political identity swallow your faith.

Pope Leo XIV is our shepherd, not our partisan. And Christ belongs to no political party. Some things are not negotiable. This is one of them.

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