Pope Leo XIV just told Donald Trump—in front of 1.4 million people on Twitter—that he’s watching the Venezuela invasion with “deep concern.”
Not exactly a blessing for the self-proclaimed “President of Peace.”
The first American pope sharply criticized Trump’s military seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from their bedroom early Saturday morning—an operation that killed at least 40 people, including civilians, according to a senior Venezuelan official who spoke to The New York Times.
Trump, of course, focused on the American side: no U.S. casualties and only “few” injuries.
THE DETAILS
“The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration,” Pope Leo wrote. “This must lead to the overcoming of violence and to the pursuit of paths of justice and peace.”
The pontiff doubled down during Sunday prayers at the Vatican, calling for Venezuela to remain an independent country—a direct response to Trump’s remarks that the United States would temporarily run the nation. Marco Rubio walked that one back on Sunday, but the damage was done.
“We must not delay in overcoming violence and embarking on paths of justice and peace, while guaranteeing the country’s sovereignty,” the pope told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square.
WHY IT MATTERS: This isn’t some diplomatic throat-clearing. The Chicago-born pope, who holds dual citizenship in Peru and the United States, has been consistently critical of Trump’s approach to immigrants, deportation tactics, and even his Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations. In October, days after Trump called climate change “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world,” the pontiff urged world leaders to “act with courage” on the issue.
Meanwhile, the invasion has sparked alarm across Latin America as Trump has threatened military action in Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba in the days since.
OF COURSE: There’s an awkward family twist here. While Pope Leo isn’t MAGA, his eldest brother Louis Prevost, 74, definitely is. The self-described “MAGA type” reportedly attended a Mar-a-Lago party late last year where Trump declared, “I love this guy!”
The White House hasn’t responded to requests for comment on the pope’s rebuke—presumably they’re too busy planning which country to invade next.
BOTTOM LINE: When the first American pope is publicly calling out an American president for military aggression and demanding respect for another nation’s sovereignty, that’s not normal diplomatic friction.
That’s a moral authority telling the world that “President of Peace” is a lie.