AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Well, it has been one year since Pope Leo XIV was elected. The first U.S.-born pope has been making his mark by speaking out for peace, and that has put him in President Trump's crosshairs. Today, Leo met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican to sort things out. NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose is here to tell us about that meeting and about Pope Leo's first year. Hi, Jason.
JASON DEROSE, BYLINE: Hello.
CHANG: OK, let's talk about Rubio's visit first. It comes on the heels of what's been a pretty extraordinary back-and-forth between Pope Leo and President Trump. What should we make of the secretary of state visiting the Vatican, you think?
DEROSE: Well, Rubio is there really to repair diplomatic damage from President Trump's repeated attacks on the pope, which upset many Americans, many American Catholics. And, you know, Ailsa, Leo really has been among the most vocal people on the global stage in calling for peace, especially with Iran. And he said he's not afraid of the Trump administration.
CHANG: Well, does it look like this whole back-and-forth is calming down?
DEROSE: Only a little bit - just this week, Donald Trump repeated this claim on a talk radio program hosted by conservative political commentator Hugh Hewitt.
(SOUNDBITE OF RADIO SHOW, "THE HUGH HEWITT SHOW")
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: The pope would rather talk about the fact that it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don't think that's very good. I think he's endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people.
DEROSE: Now, the pope has never said Iran should have a nuclear weapon.
CHANG: Right. OK, well, at this point, what are people even thinking about this ongoing - I don't even know what to call it - tension, feud, spat?
DEROSE: Well, I put that question to - what this conflict has meant for the perception of Pope Leo - to Massimo Faggioli, who teaches Catholic theology at Trinity College Dublin and at Leo's alma mater, Villanova University.
MASSIMO FAGGIOLI: I think we had two beginnings and also two different honeymoons. So there's the usual honeymoon of every pope when he's elected. And then we had a second honeymoon which is a side effect of the Trump offensive against him.
DEROSE: Still, some conservative Catholic Trump supporters are not happy, and for them, Leo's honeymoon is over.
CHANG: OK, well, the whole pope versus the president, I mean, that thing is not the only thing that has been going on during Leo's first year, right? So remind us what else has been happening.
DEROSE: Well, Leo took two major international trips, one to the Middle East and one to Africa. He visited Turkey and Lebanon, so where so many people have been suffering due to war. That trip, though, was planned by the previous pope. The first trip of Leo's own doing was to Africa, where the Catholic Church is growing. There he drew attention to armed conflict, warlords, as he put it, and to corruption.
CHANG: The thing is, Jason, most popes serve for decades - right? - so a year is a pretty short period of time. But what do you think we have learned about Pope Leo's priorities so far?
DEROSE: Well, Ailsa, I want to play this piece of tape for you that I think speaks to one way Leo is framing his papacy. He was recently asked about liberal Catholic bishops in Germany who want to bless same-sex unions more publicly than the church allowed. And here's how he responded.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
POPE LEO XIV: We tend to think that when the church is talking about morality, that the only issue of morality is sexual. And in reality, I believe there are much greater, more important issues - such as justice, equality, freedom of men and women, freedom of religion - that would all take priority before that particular issue.
DEROSE: And speaking of justice, equality and freedom, it's worth noting that for America's 250th birthday this summer, Vice President JD Vance invited Leo to the U.S. for Independence Day.
CHANG: Well, do you think the pope's going to take him up on that offer?
DEROSE: Well, Leo declined.
CHANG: OK (laughter).
DEROSE: Instead, he's going to a tiny Italian island off the coast of Africa, Lampedusa. That's often the first stop for refugees entering Europe - almost the Ellis Island of Europe, a place where thousands of people arrive seeking a better life.
CHANG: That is NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose. Thank you, Jason.
DEROSE: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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