The Briefing with Albert Mohler Monday, April 20, 2026
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Apr 20, 2026 A reckoning between the White House and the Vatican over recent public clashes and papal political influence. A deep dive into just war theory and whether current actions in Iran meet its criteria. A look at historical US–Vatican ties and how recent popes shifted diplomatic alignments. Comparisons to other global conflicts highlight the moral stakes of intervention and restraint.
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How The Cold War Remade U.S.–Papal Relations
- U.S.-Papal relations evolved from near-irrelevance to Cold War partnership over shared concerns about atheistic communism.
- Albert Mohler traces that shift through immigration, Vatican II, and joint anti-communist efforts under Reagan and John Paul II.
Papal Politics Changed The Diplomatic Landscape
- The papacy's political posture shifted under recent popes, producing different alignments with U.S. presidents across administrations.
- Mohler contrasts liberal Pope Francis with more traditional Pope Leo XIV and their differing impacts on relations with presidents.
An Unprecedented President Versus Pope Dispute
- The 2024 election of Donald J. Trump set the stage for an unusually public conflict between an American president and the pope.
- Mohler calls this the most public president–pope conflict in history, intensified by Pope Leo XIV's critiques of U.S. actions.