By Norah O’Donnell, Aliza Chasan, Keith Sharman and Roxanne Feitel
April 12, 2026 / 7:17 PM EDT / CBS News
Pope Leo XIV has increasingly criticized both the U.S. approach to the war in Iran and the Trump administration’s immigration policies, moving from prayers for peace to pointed rebukes of presidential rhetoric and actions.
Shortly before a ceasefire was negotiated on April 8, President Trump warned he would “destroy Iranian civilization.” The pope called that remark “truly unacceptable” and urged Catholics and others to pressure political leaders to work for peace. Speaking to journalists at Castel Gandolfo, the papal retreat, Leo said: “Contact the authorities — political leaders, congressmen — to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war always.”
Cardinal Robert McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, said the Iran conflict does not meet Catholic teachings on a just war. “The Catholic faith teaches us there are certain prerequisites for a just war,” McElroy said. “You can’t go for a variety of different aims. You have to have a focused aim, which is to restore justice and restore peace. That’s it.” McElroy acknowledged Iran’s backing of terrorist groups and called the regime “abominable,” but said the conflict was a “war of choice” and part of a worrying pattern of repeated U.S. military engagements.
Leo has been urging an end to the Iran war since it began in late February. In an interview with 60 Minutes before the ceasefire, he said he was praying for peace and hoped a ceasefire “would be the most effective way to work together to find peace for all parties, to respect all parties and to come to a solution.”
The pope typically avoids directly naming political figures, but in a Palm Sunday homily he appeared to take aim at the religious language some U.S. officials have used to justify war, warning that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.” Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, criticized the White House’s social-media portrayal of the conflict, calling videos of bombings “sickening” and decrying what he called the “gamification” of war that dehumanizes victims and turns suffering into entertainment. “God wants us to promote peace in the world because His desire is that we be one human family,” Cupich said.
On immigration, Leo has signaled opposition to the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans through both words and actions. Rather than visiting the United States for the country’s 250th anniversary on July 4, the first American-born pope plans to be at a major European migrant entry point, a choice Cardinal Cupich said underscores Leo’s priority to be “with those who are downcast and marginalized.”
Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, called U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a “lawless organization” in January, criticizing tactics that terrorize immigrants and sometimes violate constitutional guarantees. “When people act in this way, when they have to hide their identities to terrify people, when they can actually violate other guarantees of our Constitution and Bill of Rights, well, I think somebody’s got to call that out,” Tobin said.
In November, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a rare, unified rebuke condemning “indiscriminate mass deportation of people.” The last time the bishops issued a similar “special message” criticizing a sitting president was 13 years ago over an Obamacare contraceptive mandate.
Cardinal McElroy said he supports strong borders and has criticized immigration handled poorly under the Biden administration, but he opposes the Trump administration’s roundups. “This is a roundup of people throughout the country,” he said. “People who have been living good, strong lives, been here a long time, raised their children here, many of their children born here, and are citizens. That’s what our objection is.”
The tension between Catholic leadership and the Trump administration is notable because a majority of U.S. Catholics voted for Trump; a Pew Research survey of validated voters found he won 55% of the Catholic vote. Still, Cupich suggested mass deportations may not reflect what many Americans intended when they voted: “It’s very clear the American people are saying, ‘We really didn’t vote for this.'”
Observers see continuity between Leo’s stance and his predecessor Pope Francis. Before his death last year, Francis criticized U.S. deportation plans and opened Castel Gandolfo to broader public use, creating a job-training center focused on migrants and people in need. Rev. Manuel Dorantes, a Chicago priest and immigrant, said Leo wants to realize Francis’ vision: “After we explained the whole vision and talked with him, he said to us, ‘Full force ahead, Father Manny.'”
At Castel Gandolfo, migrants and vulnerable people will receive training in sustainable farming, gardening and cooking, with a goal of training about 1,000 people a year. Dorantes noted the model’s potential scale: if every one of the roughly 6,000 church dioceses adopted similar programs, the reach could be substantial.
While Pope Leo’s interventions have become a moral voice calling for a ceasefire in Iran and defending immigrant rights, they have put him at odds with policies advanced by President Trump and aligned segments of the U.S. Catholic electorate. U.S. cardinals and church leaders continue to press for humane treatment of migrants, restraint in foreign policy, and a pursuit of peace as central commitments of Catholic teaching.
In: Immigration, Iran, Pope Leo XIV, Catholic Church