Sound the Trumpets, For Donald Has Risen

Blame it on the scriptures. For it is written in the book of Romans, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God”.

And the Son of God makes it clear to the meanest intelligence, telling Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who is about to sentence him to death, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above”.

Two men have taken this very seriously. One has announced he is of divine birth. Far away in America, in the post Easter season, Donald Trump has trumpeted that he is Jesus healing lepers, raising the dead to life, and challenging peacenik Pope Leo to what is a theological duel across the Atlantic Ocean.

Trump shared (and later deleted) an AI-generated image depicting himself in a Christ-like pose – hands glowing, healing a sick man – the leper Lazarus, some said – amid American flags, soldiers, and eagles – only to claim it portrayed him as a physician, not a messianic figure.

The vicar of Christ and the Messiah of evangelical America now spar in a battlefield that stretches the length and breath of the globe where the dollar has penetrated, including some areas where perhaps the Bible has not yet done so.

The spat between president Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV is a remarkable public feud between an incumbent US president and the Pope, who is the first American-born pontiff. The feud began as a policy disagreement over the US-Israel war against Iran and quickly escalated into a broader cultural and theological controversy.

The rift within Christianity

Within Christianity, the rift is profound. Students of church history say Evangelicals (roughly one-third of Trump’s 2024 base) often prioritise alliance with Israel and view strength as moral.

Traditional denominations – Catholics (1.4 billion globally), many mainline Protestants, and Orthodox – lean toward Pope Leo’s Gospel – centred critique.

Trump, fresh off Easter weekend threats against Iran, lashed out at the pope on Truth Social, labeling him “WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy,” accusing him of catering to the “radical left,” and implying that Leo’s election was a strategic Vatican manoeuver to counter Trump’s influence.

Pope Leo, elected in May 2025 as the Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, responded calmly from a papal flight: “the Vatican’s calls for peace are rooted in the Gospel”, and he has “no fear of the Trump administration.

Trump, enmeshed together with his wife in an ever-tightening mesh of moral turpitude, remains a darling of his MAGA group, made up not only of what are variously known as White Trash and Red-necks, but also such of the Bible Belt of Evangelical north America, is by all means a weighty opponent, game as much in plotting the long distance assassination of political enemies as moving evangelicals across to the globe to theological frenzy.

Much more than a personality conflict between the burly orange haired 80-year-old businessman politician and a wiry much younger pontiff fresh still in his august 2,000 year old office, this confrontation has reignited deep fissures between peaceniks and warmongers, evangelicals and traditional Christians across denominations.

It has also forced a global conversation about the moral limits of power. To stand with Pope Leo, as millions of Catholics and other Christians have done, is to stand up to Trump, to demand a critique of the US-Israel “war doctrine” against Iran, and his condoning the war crimes in Gaza.

There are additional charges of profiteering from disrupted oil markets via the Strait of Hormuz blockade. Canada has largely opposed or distanced itself from offensive operations, emphasising international law. India has dithered, hedging between energy security, Gulf remittances, and strategic ties.

To many in the Catholic Church, including specially in India which arguably has the largest population of committed Church going Catholics any given Sunday, the controversy exposes how religion, geopolitics, and economics intersect in 2026, with implications beyond politics to the soul of Christianity itself.

The Indian Catholic Church has jumped to stand on the side of Pope Leo. On Tuesday night, the powerful Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) and the 107-year-old All India Catholic Union (AICU), arguably the oldest and largest such confederation of ordinary Catholics in Asia, issues strongly worded statements supporting the Pope.

The Catholic bishops in their statement extended its steadfast support” and said the Holy Father’s appeal is a much needed beacon of hope. Pope Leo XIV is truly a channel of peace, reflecting the profound spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi.

The Indian bishops lashed out at President Trump, something they have never done against any other head of state or government so far, not even against Indian prime ministers in the past when their actions were deemed injurious to the church.

“The CBCI strongly condemns Mr Donald Trump for his recent irresponsible statement. His comments were unwarranted and insulting to Christians all over the world. “ The Jesus like poster is not merely distasteful, I is. aproufound mockery of the Divine.”

The AICU was strong in standing with the Pope, but seemingly milder on the American head of state. Some lay leaders had reservations on the Iranian leadership too and are not keen to single out Trump.

Trump and the Israeli Prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu have a much stronger following in India huge, and still to be fully mapped, evangelical and independent church groups who quite agree with the American president’s self assessment that he has been appointed by God to teach upstart nations a lesson.

No official statements have been issued by independent churches, but many NRI public theologians have been vocal on social media supporting Trump and Netanyahu.

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago in 1955, brings a unique American perspective shaped by missionary work in Peru and a reputation as a “middle-of-the-road” reformer.

Elected unexpectedly on the fourth ballot in the 2025 conclave following Pope Francis’s death, he chose the name Leo –evoking Leo XIII’s social justice encyclicals and Leo the Great’s diplomatic legacy.

From the outset, Leo XIV has prioritised peace amid multiple conflicts. His criticisms of the Iran war echo Catholic social teaching: the preferential option for the poor, the dignity of every human life, and skepticism toward endless militarism.

The Pope has condemned the assassination of Iran Supreme Leader Khamenei, the killing in a missile attack of young girl students, and extensive damage to oil infrastructure as “truly unacceptable.” When the Straits of Hormuz were closed in Iran’s retaliation, he urged an “off-ramp,” – an Americanism – and reminded the world that “God does not bless any conflict.”

President Trump has long positioned himself as a defender of Christian America and Israel, drawing on Christian Zionist theology prevalent among evangelicals. His first term saw the Abraham Accords and recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital; his second has doubled down with unwavering support for Israel against what he said were Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional proxies.

Trump’s rhetoric – threatening to “bomb Iran back to the stone age” or that “a whole civilisation will die” – frames the conflict as existential. He views the pope’s criticism as naive weakness, especially on crime, immigration, and foreign policy.

Evangelical support remains Trump’s bedrock

Evangelical support remains Trump’s bedrock. Some fundamentalist Christians see modern Israel as fulfilling biblical prophecy justifying strong action against perceived existential threats like Iran.

Figures like Franklin Graham, son of the legendary Billy Braham, have historically backed Trump despite controversies. This contrasts with traditional mainline Protestants, Orthodox Christians, and Catholics, who emphasise Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, peacemaking, and critique of empire.

The controversy also intersects secular politics. Christian nationalism in MAGA circles clashes with Vatican independence. Reports in the American media say some US Catholics, a key swing demographic, feel alienated. Polls show Pope Leo far more popular among them than Trump. Vice President J.D. Vance, a Catholic convert, faces tension between loyalty and doctrine.

The writer is a former editor, member of the National Integration Council and past president, All India Catholic Union.

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