Pope Leo XIV: ‘Off-ramp’ for Trump
While the United States and Israel made air strikes against Iran and the latter fired back in defense of itself, while oil prices are rising, and after US President Donald Trump threatened to send ground troops to Iran that would mean a heavy toll on human lives on both sides, journalists sought out Pope Leo XIV for quotable thoughts. He said something that suggested a scenario.
“I’m told that President Trump recently stated that he would like to end the war. Hopefully he’s looking for an ‘off-ramp.’ Hopefully he’s looking for a way to decrease the amount of violence [and] bombing … I continue to give this call to all the leaders of the world and say, come back to the table [for] dialogue…” Christ continues to be crucified in many places in the world, he said in Italian. And he was speaking at Eastertide.
(The recent negotiations held in Pakistan did not yield hopeful results.)
The words “off-ramp” refer to “a short, one-way exit from a high-speed highway or freeway to a local road.” Going off-ramp could lead to a new direction.
Metaphorically, off-ramp refers to a well-planned, peaceful exit from a conflict situation, from between a rock and a hard place, if you will. It is a compromise to de-escalate a conflict and avoid further violence on opposing sides. A way to save face. It is not admitting defeat, but it sure requires humility, a virtue this Augustinian Pope must have been formed in.
That Pope Leo used driving lingo is not surprising. He is known to have been a very good driver. (A good horseback rider, too, as photos show?) A mathematics major, a missionary with a doctorate in canon law, he knew how to tinker with and fix secondhand cars so priests in his diocese would have vehicles to use for their ministries. Having traveled to more than 40 countries as prior general of the Augustinians for 12 years before Pope Francis made him bishop in Peru, and, later, Cardinal and Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome, he must have encountered many “off-ramp” situations among his fellow bishops, friars, and the communities they served.
In his latest pronouncements on the war in the Middle East, the Pope quoted from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Spoken calmly but hitting home. He called Trump’s threat to destroy a civilization and send it back to the Stone Age “unacceptable.” Blowing up thousands of years of Persian civilization to smithereens? How is that acceptable?
But Trump would have none of the Pope’s admonitions. In his Truth Social post, he attacked the Pope by calling him “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy” and accusing him of “catering to the Radical Left.” He added: “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” shamelessly taking credit for the election of the first American pope and blaspheming the Holy Spirit. “I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal person.” Whatever liberal means. Weak on crime? He wants the pope to be a Horatio Caine?
The backlash against Trump came almost instantly, even from Americans who say, “I’m not Catholic, but” they stand with Pope Leo and why. There is a Pope Leo fandom out there, not for a rock star but for one who stands for peace and unity. Many posts are profound, theological. Others are hilarious, even insulting, with Trump at the receiving end. The uproar became louder after Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated Jesus-like image of himself against an Armageddon-like background. It has since been taken down because, he said, he’d rather look like a doctor.
Many refer to Pope Leo’s Chicago roots, stressing that you do not mess with this guy, posting a photo of him as then Robert Francis Prevost. Note the clerical collar and black getup, dark hat, dark glasses and, whoa, sideburns. Straight out of The Blues Brothers. So, what’s it about being from Chicago? Some answers: hard as nails but relatable.
“Peace be to you all,” and “I am a son of St. Augustine” were some of his first words to the roaring crowd in St. Peter’s Square after he was elected pope on May 8, 2025 and took on the name Leo XIV. His namesake Leo XIII upheld the rights of workers during the Industrial Revolution.
The lion roars: “I have no fear of the Trump administration. I am not a politician. I will continue to speak against war … Someone has to speak that there is a better way.” He speaks well but, many attest, he also listens intently and well.
I am writing this while the Pope is on the first stop of his four-country African visit, Algeria: birthplace of St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430)—philosopher, theologian, preacher, writer, bishop, sinner, saint—one of the early Church fathers who shaped Catholic theology and doctrine.
Standing before the Martyrs Monument in Algeria, Pope Leo said something that I quickly noted down, for whatever it is worth: “Freedom is not inherited. It is chosen every day.”
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