When President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran this past week, it followed global calls to end the war — including from Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pope. Born Robert Prevost and raised in Chicago, the 70-year-old pontiff, once known as Father Bob, is measured and soft-spoken but has grown more outspoken about some U.S. policies. Three influential American cardinals who know him well — Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington, and Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark — sat for a rare joint interview to explain why Pope Leo’s church has emerged as a moral voice on the Iran conflict and on immigration crackdowns.
“Peace be with you” were the first words Pope Leo spoke as leader of 1.4 billion Catholics. His selection surprised and energized many of the 53 million U.S. Catholics. Asked what an American pope has meant for the church in the United States, the cardinals noted pride in his Chicago roots and increased attention to the church’s pastoral role.
The cardinals emphasized that as pastor of the world the pope will not comment on everything, but he will speak on what he sees as important moral matters. Early in his papacy he criticized U.S. military action in Venezuela, a comment that prompted a meeting between the Vatican’s ambassador to the U.S. and Pentagon officials. The Vatican and the Pentagon described that session as routine, though two church officials called it tense.
In March, during a visit to Italy, Pope Leo told reporters he was praying for peace in the Middle East and that a ceasefire would be the most effective path to a solution that respects all parties. Since then his rhetoric has sharpened: he issued an unusual public condemnation of President Trump’s threat to “destroy Iranian civilization,” calling that kind of language “truly unacceptable.” He also urged Catholics and others to act: “Contact the authorities — political leaders, congressmen — to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war always,” he said.
The pope typically avoids naming political leaders directly, but his Palm Sunday homily appeared to rebut language used by some U.S. officials who frame the conflict in religious terms. He warned that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.”
The cardinals were blunt in their assessment of the Iran war. Cardinal McElroy said it does not meet Catholic just-war criteria: a just war must aim narrowly to restore justice and peace, he said, and the current conflict represents “a war of choice.” McElroy acknowledged Iran’s government is “an abominable regime” that should be removed but argued military action now risks a cascade of wars. Cardinal Cupich criticized the White House’s social-media portrayal of the war as “gamification,” saying it dehumanizes victims by splicing entertainment-style cuts with images of bombing and killing. “It is sickening,” he said, calling such presentation a distortion of who Americans should be.
The cardinals said Pope Leo’s stance inspired them to speak out on other political issues, notably immigration and recent mass deportation efforts. In January, Cardinal Tobin called Immigration and Customs Enforcement “a lawless organization,” a phrase he defended in the interview as a response to tactics that terrorize people and sometimes violate constitutional guarantees. Cardinal McElroy described clergy in Washington ministering to immigrant congregations living in fear; he said Spanish-mass attendance in his archdiocese fell about 30 percent year over year because people were too afraid to come.
McElroy, who once served as bishop of San Diego, said the situation had gotten “out of control” and characterized recent actions as broad roundups of people who had been living stable lives in the U.S., many with children born here. He said the church’s objection is not to secure borders — he supports strong borders — but to indiscriminate mass deportations that separate families and punish long-term, contributing residents.
Cardinal Cupich asked whether Catholics truly support indiscriminate deportations, suggesting many Americans did not intend to vote for such policies. When asked by parishioners who prefer not to hear politics from clergy, Cupich said preaching the gospel includes promoting peace and treating all people as part of one human family. McElroy added that what motivates pastors is witnessing profound human suffering.
The interview also highlighted how Pope Leo’s priorities extend to practical care for migrants. At Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer estate southeast of Rome, the Vatican has launched its first job-training center focused on migrants and locals in need. Father Manny Dorantes, a Chicago priest and immigrant who helped open the estate to the public under Pope Francis, said Pope Leo embraced the project: “Full force ahead, Father Manny,” the pope told him.
The center teaches sustainable farming, gardening and cooking on the estate where the pope spends rest days. Father Dorantes said the program aims to train about 1,000 migrants and vulnerable people per year — a modest number locally but potentially scalable if every diocese adopted similar programs. The first graduating class included refugees and migrants from around the world, including a young man from West Africa who survived the perilous sea crossing to Lampedusa, the Mediterranean island where many migrants have drowned.
Pope Leo’s planned July 4 visit to Lampedusa — coinciding with America’s 250th birthday — was interpreted by the cardinals as a statement of solidarity with the marginalized. Cardinal Cupich said the pope’s priority is to be with the downcast and marginalized. Cardinal Tobin noted the symbolic resonance for Americans: someone in his archdiocese joked about a small island resident holding up a torch with a “Welcome” message.
The U.S. church has seen renewed interest in 2026: an increase in converts and higher attendance in some dioceses. Cardinal Tobin credited Pope Leo with energizing people, saying each pope is the right person for a particular moment and that Leo is the right leader now.
The cardinals’ willingness to speak publicly reflects a blend of pastoral concern and moral urgency shaped by Pope Leo’s example: calling for peace in war, defending migrants and challenging policies they view as unjust or dehumanizing. Produced by Keith Sharman, Julie Morse Goff and Roxanne Feitel. Field producer: Anna Matranga. Broadcast associates: Grace Conley, Callie Teitelbaum. News associate: Julia C. Doyle. Edited by Peter M. Berman.