THE AGE-OLD QUARREL AND TODAY’S CONFLICT

In my hometown, Bom Jesus do Galho, the wise say you shouldn’t pick a fight with anyone who wears a skirt: priests, judges, and women. The American president has been fighting with all three for weeks. The latest was with Pope Leo XIV, born in Chicago, who even refused to attend the 250th anniversary celebrations of the independence of the country where he was born because he was busy leading 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, 118 million of whom are in Brazil, the world’s largest Catholic country.

The delicate situation between the Vatican, of which the Pope is head of state, and Trump erupted over an AI-generated image in which he appears as Jesus Christ saving a sick person. Furthermore, due to the Pope’s previous statements regarding the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, the situation in Venezuela—when the Vatican sought to help Maduro travel to Russia to avoid his kidnapping—climate change, and further criticism of Silicon Valley’s tech tycoons dominating the world. 

In short, during Holy Week, tensions escalated, with Trump saying that the Pope should not meddle in American politics and adding some very harsh words, and the Pope responding that he is not afraid of Trump. And  before that, he drew the attention  of the U.S. Secretary of War, who called for total violence against enemies who deserve no mercy. And the response was that Jesus, the king of peace, does not listen to those who want war, but rather rejects them.

Stalin once asked how many divisions the Vatican had, which later played an active role in the overthrow of the socialist system in Europe. Pius XII never condemned Nazism or fascism, and it has been proven that the Vatican protected the escape of Nazi criminals. For centuries, the Catholic Church has had an enormous influence on world politics. The Pope recently visited Lebanon and, after passing through Algeria, is now visiting African countries. Only conflict zones, to spread the word of peace. The Vatican maintains diplomatic relations with 184 countries, including through nunciatures in 127 countries. The world’s first diplomatic academy was established by the Vatican in 1701. Brazil was the third country in the world to do so, founding its Rio Branco Institute 100 years ago. An immeasurable soft power in the world, which also boasts a network of bishoprics, religious orders, educational institutions, and everything else, including a vast estate. Brazil has eight cardinals and 497 bishops.

Whether Trump, who received 55% of the vote from American Catholics and has a Catholic vice president, assessed that the Pope’s stance has become the opposition that no other leader dares to voice for fear of reprisals, we do not know. The slogan “I am not afraid” could spread across the world regardless of religion and create a form of intolerance quite different from the tolerance shown by the Catholic Church toward Nazi Germany, when everyone was also afraid of Hitler and no one opposed him on right time to avoid a world war.