I have a great reverence for the Catholic Church. Yeah, that sounds funny coming from someone Jewish, but it was the Catholic Church that dragged Europe, and large swaths of the world, out of paganism. And while paganism is all pretty when hippy types are garlanded with flowers, wearing white robes, and dancing around scented fires to celebrate Gaia, the reality is that paganism is amoral and violent. Placating random, arbitrary, and capricious gods does not yield nice behavior.
I also know a great deal about Church history, thanks to my B.A. and a lot of post-college reading. The first thing I know is that the Church has always been communal in nature and that it welcomes the stranger into the fold. The communal approach is a personal ideal because the Vatican used to understand that socialism is anti-God, so it vigorously fought against it. Moreover, the idea of welcoming the stranger into the fold was never meant to be suicidal.
The second thing I know is that the historical Church understood one of its primary functions was to defend Christendom. It welcomed the stranger, but not the invader. Indeed, Pope Leo I, the current Pope’s namesake, is known as the Savior of Western Civilization for convincing Attila the Hunt not to invade Rome in 452.
The Vatican is the institution that presided over the Crusades after hordes of violent Islamic troops conquered the holy city of Jerusalem—which Islamic governments held until 1948, a 1,300-year period during which non-Muslims suffered the apartheid of dhimmitude. Since Israel’s founding, of course, all non-Jews have enjoyed full civil rights and complete access to their places of worship.
The Vatican also believed that, while it wasn’t a door-to-door proselytizing faith (it wasn’t in the airports as the Hare Krishna were in the 1970s), it was responsible for bringing the faith to non-believers. In primitive times, it did so through force; later, it used moral suasion.
It’s in light of this long history that Pope Leo’s behavior baffles me. The Chicago-born Pope did not show up for America’s 250th birthday. Considering that America has been the bulwark against communism, an ideology that has a central goal of erasing God, I thought it was a little strange that he would miss America’s special birthday party.
In lieu of an appearance, on June 26, Pope Leo published a letter congratulating America on the semiquincentennial. A lot of the letter says nice things about America, including the fact that its openness to other faiths “has permitted the Catholic Church to take root and flourish within the United States, to the advantage not only of her own members, but of the entire nation.” So true.
That’s why it’s a little strange to consider what Pope Leo did instead of heading home to honor a special day in America:
So Pope Leo XIV, despite his American origins and an invitation to today’s 250th US anniversary celebrations, said no
— Mambo Italiano (@mamboitaliano__) July 4, 2026
Instead, he went to Lampedusa 🇮🇹 — standing on a rock like a seagull, papal skullcap in the wind — to honor migrant victims and send a strong message to Europe… pic.twitter.com/DLiq3Fxuoi
Those migrants are from the Middle East and North Africa. The vast majority are Muslim. In their own lands, Christians are banned or persecuted. When they arrive in Europe, they persecute Christians and Jews, and the more vocal among them make no secret of their desire to replace Europe’s current system with a Caliphate grounded in the Koran and Sharia law. They are the Vatican’s open and avowed enemies.
Not only does Pope Leo stand at the shore weeping for them and begging more to arrive, but he makes no effort whatsoever to invite them into the Church. Instead, he allowed Muslim worship within the Vatican library. Moreover, when he accepted a “Liberty Medal of The National Constitution Center” on July 3, 2026, via a virtual appearance, he ended his talk with a shout-out to “interfaith dialogue and interreligious cooperation.” Once again, he seems unclear on the Vatican’s traditional role.
Being Jewish, I’m all for good-faith “interfaith dialogue and interreligious cooperation.” The problem with Islam as a whole (as opposed to individual Muslims who do engage in good-faith actions) is that it cannot tolerate religious competition. You yield, or you die.
I don’t get this Pope; I honestly don’t. Contrary to the almost 2,000-year history of the institution he leads, he seems determined to welcome the invader without making any pretense of advancing the Catholic faith or preserving the Church. Perhaps in the comments, those of you who are Catholics can explain to me what I’m missing.