Pope vs. Trump: Pontiff takes aim at U.S. policies

The big picture: Leo has become outspoken about immigration and conflicts, and increasingly vocal in opposing the Iran war.

• As the war enters a second month, he used his Palm Sunday address to note that Jesus rejects "those who wage war."
• That was in stark contrast to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's comments at a Pentagon prayer service last week, during which he prayed for "overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy."
• By doing so Leo is continuing the work of his predecessors, said University of Dayton's Sandra Yocum, a professor of faith and culture, in a Monday afternoon phone interview, noting the late Pope John Paul II's opposition to the Iraq war.

Here are other times Leo appeared to criticize policies that Trump has pushed:

The Iran war

The pontiff has repeatedly spoken out against the Iran war since U.S. and Israeli forces first struck the country on Feb. 28 — though in keeping with a stance he's developed since becoming pope last May, he hasn't mentioned any world leader by name.

• In his first Sunday address since those strikes, the Chicago-born pope warned the "spiral of violence" risked becoming "an unbridgeable chasm."
• Leo noted in a March 15 address that "thousands of innocent people have been killed and countless others have been forced to flee their homes," adding: "To those responsible for this conflict: cease fire!"

Venezuela military operation

Before the Iran conflict began, the pope said during a Jan. 9 address: "War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading."

• He alluded to the U.S. military attacks in the Caribbean and the Trump administration's operation to capture then-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
• Leo called"escalating tensions" in the region "a cause for serious concern" as he urged for "peaceful political solutions" and for "the will of the Venezuelan people" to be respected and human rights safeguarded.

On the U.S.-Europe alliance

Reporters asked Leo in December if the U.S.-proposed plan to settle the Russia-Ukraine war was fair. Leo said from he had seen there was "a huge change" in what was for "many years a true alliance between Europe and the United States."

Trump's immigration policies

In November, Leo backed the U.S. Roman Catholic bishops' statement criticizing the Trump administration's immigration and mass deportation policies, emphasizing the need to treat people humanely and with dignity.

• "If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that,' he said. "There are courts. There's a system of justice."

Between the lines: Leo has asked the bishops and their conferences "to take more responsibility for local concerns, and so he was very supportive of the U.S. Catholic bishops in their in their criticism of the of the current policies by the Trump administration on mass deportation," Yocum said.

What we're watching: The Vatican confirmed in February the pope would not visit the U.S. this year, following an invitation from Trump via Vice President JD Vance.

• Instead, Leo will spend the 250th anniversary of the U.S. on July 4 on Lampedusa — Italy's southernmost island, off Tunisia's coast, which has become a gateway for thousands of migrants and refugees traveling to Europe from Africa and the Middle East.

Zoom in: Yocum pointed to Leo's years of service in Peru and his international heritage as giving him "recognition of what it means to be an immigrant and to be from a family of immigrants" in a country that is mostly descended from immigrants.

• "To go to this island, this place of transition for migrants fleeing difficult situations, I think he's reminding us of of responsibility, to those who are seeking a life of safety and security for themselves and their families," she said.
• Representatives from the White House did not immediately respond to Axios' Sunday afternoon request for comment. The Pentagon declined to comment on the matter.

Go deeper: Catholic Church emerges as a bulwark of resistance