Pope Leo is pouring old-fashioned sauce over the venomous Trump: it’s called diplomacy

Pope Leo famously has no divisions to send to battle, rather the expression of a conscience to protect all of humanity from the ravages of war. Mark Carney, in deciding how much Canada should actually spend on preparing for war, should emulate Leo, not Donald Trump.

Pope Leo, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump pulls the U.S. out of dozens of UN agencies in an astonishing act of thumbing his nose at the world body. Leo, speaking to the Vatican diplomatic corps, praises the UN and says it should play a 'key role' in building a more just future, writes Douglas Roche.Photographs courtesy of Commons Wikimedia and the White House official photographer Molly Riley

Opinion

BY DOUGLAS ROCHE

January 19, 2026

EDMONTON—Pope Leo IV has an old-fashioned sauce he’s pouring over the venomous United States President Donald Trump. It’s called diplomacy.

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