Graham Rebukes Vatican, Defending Trump Amid Escalating ‘War of Words’ with the Pope

The deepening diplomatic and theological rift between the White House and the Holy See reached a new flashpoint on Thursday. Franklin Graham, the prominent American evangelist, issued a sharp public rebuke of Pope Leo XIV, defending President Donald J. Trump against the pontiff’s recent denunciations of warfare and American foreign policy.

In a statement posted on X, Mr. Graham—the son of the late Reverend Billy Graham and a stalwart ally of the president—suggested that the leader of the Roman Catholic Church should offer gratitude rather than criticism. Mr. Graham argued that the Trump administration has been a singular force in shielding religious liberties, a cause he claimed benefits both evangelicals and the millions of Catholics residing in the United States and abroad.

“I wish the Pope had the opportunity to thank the President for his work in protecting religious freedom,” Mr. Graham wrote, in remarks first reported by The New Republic.

A Clash Over the Nature of Conflict

The dispute underscores a fundamental disagreement between the Trump administration and the papacy of Leo XIV, the former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who in 2025 became the first American to ascend to the Chair of Saint Peter. Since his election, the Pope has pivoted the Vatican toward a more vocal pacifism, labeling war as “madness” and asserting that “God does not bless any conflict.”

The Pope’s rhetoric has been widely interpreted as a direct critique of the administration’s military posture in Iran and its operations in Venezuela. Mr. Trump, characteristically combative, responded on Truth Social by labeling the pontiff “weak on evil” and “terrible on foreign policy.”

Mr. Graham, however, sought to frame the President’s actions as fundamentally aligned with Christian interests, calling him the most “pro-Christian and pro-life” president in American history. He also moved to quell a simmering controversy involving an A.I.-generated image shared by Mr. Trump, which some critics viewed as a sacrilegious self-depiction as a Christ-like figure. Mr. Graham dismissed the backlash as a “visual misunderstanding” and urged the global church to focus on broader existential threats.

Two Divergent Theologies

The friction reflects a broader schism in modern Christianity. Under Leo XIV, the Vatican has emphasized a “theology of peace” rooted in the Sermon on the Mount, prioritizing the role of the peacemaker. Conversely, right-wing evangelical leaders like Mr. Graham have championed a more muscular, militaristic approach, viewing it as a necessary defense of sovereignty and conservative values.

The Vatican has not officially responded to Mr. Graham’s comments. However, during a recent papal flight to Algiers, Leo XIV told reporters that he was “not afraid” of political friction, reiterating that the evangelical message of peace must remain independent of partisan interests. []