Italian Vatican expert Piero Schiavazzi views Pope Leo XIV as a political counterbalance to U.S. President Donald Trump. Speaking to the German business newspaper Handelsblatt (Thursday edition), Schiavazzi noted that the Pope has developed into a “world-class political leader”. According to Schiavazzi, Trump’s public attacks actually reinforced the Pope’s authority rather than diminishing it. Schiavazzi currently holds the world’s sole professorship in Vatican Geopolitics at the Sapienza University in Rome.
Schiavazzi assessed that Leo deliberately avoided direct confrontation for a long time because many U.S. Catholics support Trump, and the American Church is financially vital to the Vatican. He stated that “an open confrontation would have split the Catholic community in the United States”. Therefore, the Pope only spoke out after Trump threatened the Iranian people, and he deliberately addressed “his compatriots as an American”. With this statement, Schiavazzi remarked, Leo spoke like a politician for the first time.
For Schiavazzi, the conflict between Leo and Trump highlights a deeper opposition. He explained that “in the United States, two concepts of Christianity and political responsibility are currently colliding”. While circles close to Trump have religiously legitimized war, Leo emphasizes moral boundaries on state power. Schiavazzi concluded by stating that Trump’s reaction proves how significant the Pope’s influence has become, adding, “Precisely the President’s attack makes Leo stronger”.
