A war of words escalated between Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump early this month when the president promised that “a whole civilization will die” if Iran didn’t make a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a statement the pope found “truly unacceptable.”
This set off an intense verbal feud between the two leaders.
However, the pontiff appeared to have enough by Saturday when he said it was “not in my interest at all” to debate the president about the Iran war, but that he would continue preaching the Gospel’s message of peace.
Truth be told, we all want peace, but while he reviews Gospel passages, he may want to check out Matthew 24:6-8, which states that wars are all a part of life on Earth.
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,” it says, and it’s not just war.
“There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains,” the passage adds.
And sometimes we have to endure the bad in order to achieve the good.
Leo may also want to thumb back to the Old Testament and check out Ecclesiastes, which says there’s a time for everything on Earth — both good and bad.
According to Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 8, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
Verse 8 says there will be “A time for war and a time for peace.”
Being American by birth, the pontiff may get a kick out of hearing this passage sung by the folk-rock group, the Byrds. The song is named “Turn! Turn! Turn!“
Pope Leo was only 10 years old when the Byrds came out with it, but he may still remember it.
— MIchael Dorstewitz, April 20 Newsmax column