The Pope Has to Stick to Saving Souls

​It is understandable that Pope Leo is presenting himself as the Vicar of Christ and wishes for peace to be blessed throughout the world. But his primary responsibility is to save souls and not be so naive to think that some people will not also be evil.

This Pope, as so many others recently, have made steps to reach out to leaders of many other faiths. And, on the surface that is quite noble.

But recent events in the Middle East have brought a certain twisted silence from Pope Leo, as it also did from Pope Francis. 

Francis was silent when Hamas kidnapped and killed many innocent Jews and Christians over his reign, especially after October 7. But when Israel retaliated, he was extremely critical of Israel’s response.

Ironically, Leo was equally silent as the occupied forces of the IRGC and the evil Islamic Republic MURDERED innocent protesters for perceived “sins against God”, and instead, made arrangements to visit several African Muslim countries. Yet, he found his voice to criticize the US and Israel for responding to the Iranian citizens’ pleas to save them from these evil  monsters.

Pope Leo described the US war efforts as being fueled by a "delusion of omnipotence" and "madness". When the US walked away from the recent peace talks, the Vatican continued to distance itself from the US military action, leading to a public feud where President Trump described the Pope as "WEAK on crime" and "terrible for Foreign Policy".

We can all agree that Pope Leo has taken great strides to push his belief that “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God", a famous quote from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew5:9, are words to live by because it emphasizes that those who reconcile broken relationships, foster harmony, and activel make peace in a divided world are recognized as acting in the likeness of God. 

But he must consider other key biblical principles on defending the vulnerable which include some of the following which he has seemed to have forgotten:

• Active Defense of the Weak: Psalm 82:3-4 (NIV) instructs, "Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed." This requires taking action rather than just giving advice.
• Speaking for the Voiceless: Proverbs 31:8-9 urges believers to "speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves" and defend the rights of the poor and needy.
• Protecting Against Oppression: Proverbs 14:31 Protecting others from harm, such as intervening against abusers, is seen as honoring God, while neglecting to help the poor is seen as insulting Him 
• Contextual Justification for Force: While the Bible emphasizes peace, it allows for the use of force to protect others when there is no other choice to stop imminent evil.
• Biblical Examples: God is frequently described as a defender of the defenseless, and believers are called to imitate this character.

He, and others who look for any reason to criticize Trump, the US, Netanyahu and Israel  for engaging in the war against Iran, must equally consider ALL aspects of of the Bible and blame Iran for its sins against humanity. Otherwise, you are selectively ignoring the lessons which God gave us to follow and instead, are following your own agenda.

But, ultimately, both the President and the Pope  need to stand down and reconsider the words each of them are saying. Both men are right, but then, both men are also wrong. Each has legitimate reasons for acting as they do to try and fix the world as they seek justice for all mankind.

And consider the goal which they both want to achieve.