“War is always a defeat for humanity.”
-Pope John Paul II
This week, our U.S. president is criticizing the current Pope, and then posting an image of himself as Jesus Christ. No person of faith—or of moral character--should be silent about this. The context is that Pope Leo XIV has expressed the Catholic values of peace and compassion, speaking out against the war in Iran and the ICE deportations. This caused President Trump to post a lengthy attack against the Pope….and then, inexplicably, an image of himself as Jesus healing the sick.
Ironically, the Iranian president—our “enemy” in this war—responded with this post:
To His Holiness Pope Leo XIV: I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran, and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person. I wish you glory by Allah.
Muslims hold Jesus in high regard as a prophet (not the Messiah in their belief); and the political leaders of Iran are very religious. Trump is ignorant of religion and uses its ideas and institutions only as tools for his own power. He has no shame and no respect for religion—as he proved yesterday by posting an image of himself as Jesus. Our Muslim “enemy” is honoring the pope and his Christian values; our president is attacking the pope and claiming the identity of Jesus for himself.
As people of faith, we must align ourselves with Pope Leo, who is speaking the truth of his religion that is in sync with Unitarian Universalist values as well. Here is what he said about his highly publicized disagreement with Trump: “I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems. Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”
Each of us is called to speak out in our own voice, with our own truth, in times of public crisis such as this. As we honor Pope Leo, may we each find the courage to say what must be said and to do what must be done. I end with a prayer to Jesus that was spoken a few days ago by the Pope:
PRAYER:
May the madness of war cease
and the Earth be cared for and cultivated by those who still
know how to bring forth, protect and love life.
Hear us, Lord of life!
May it be so.
Rev. Drew Frantz
April 14, 2026
-Pope John Paul II
This week, our U.S. president is criticizing the current Pope, and then posting an image of himself as Jesus Christ. No person of faith—or of moral character--should be silent about this. The context is that Pope Leo XIV has expressed the Catholic values of peace and compassion, speaking out against the war in Iran and the ICE deportations. This caused President Trump to post a lengthy attack against the Pope….and then, inexplicably, an image of himself as Jesus healing the sick.
Ironically, the Iranian president—our “enemy” in this war—responded with this post:
To His Holiness Pope Leo XIV: I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran, and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person. I wish you glory by Allah.
Muslims hold Jesus in high regard as a prophet (not the Messiah in their belief); and the political leaders of Iran are very religious. Trump is ignorant of religion and uses its ideas and institutions only as tools for his own power. He has no shame and no respect for religion—as he proved yesterday by posting an image of himself as Jesus. Our Muslim “enemy” is honoring the pope and his Christian values; our president is attacking the pope and claiming the identity of Jesus for himself.
As people of faith, we must align ourselves with Pope Leo, who is speaking the truth of his religion that is in sync with Unitarian Universalist values as well. Here is what he said about his highly publicized disagreement with Trump: “I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems. Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”
Each of us is called to speak out in our own voice, with our own truth, in times of public crisis such as this. As we honor Pope Leo, may we each find the courage to say what must be said and to do what must be done. I end with a prayer to Jesus that was spoken a few days ago by the Pope:
PRAYER:
May the madness of war cease
and the Earth be cared for and cultivated by those who still
know how to bring forth, protect and love life.
Hear us, Lord of life!
May it be so.
Rev. Drew Frantz
April 14, 2026
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