Sen John Kennedy breaks with Trump over 'holy war' with Pope Leo XIV

WASHINGTON, DC: Sen John Kennedy (R-La.) is still firmly in President Donald Trump’s corner, but even he has his limits.

Speaking on Fox News’ 'The Big Weekend Show' on Saturday, April 18, the Louisiana Republican made clear he’s not on board with Trump’s ongoing spat with Pope Leo XIV, bluntly calling it a “holy war.”

“Look, there are too many distractions,” Kennedy said. “I love the president like a taco — I don’t always agree with him, but I think he wants a better world. But I don’t agree with him about this new holy war with the pope.”

A longtime supporter of Trump and his Make America Great Again movement, Kennedy stressed that his disagreement isn’t rooted in personal faith. Raised Presbyterian, he noted he “compromised” after meeting his wife and becoming a Methodist, but said his respect for Catholicism remains intact.

“I have great respect for Catholicism, and even if I didn’t, the pope is entitled to his opinion. Why do we want to have a fight with the pope?” Kennedy continued. “It’s a distraction. And the press just sucks it up like a Hoover Deluxe [vacuum].”

Trump vs Pope Leo

Kennedy’s comments came after a week in which the Trump–Pope Leo feud dominated headlines.

The clash began on April 12, when Trump unloaded on social media and branded the pope “WEAK” on crime and on the issue of a nuclear Iran. He said he preferred the pope’s brother, Louis Prevost, because he is a “big MAGA person.”

The outburst followed growing criticism from Pope Leo, who had taken aim at Trump’s rhetoric surrounding Iran. The pontiff condemned Trump’s threat to wipe out a “whole civilization” if Tehran’s leaders didn’t strike a deal, calling it “truly unacceptable.”

He doubled down days later, declaring, “God does not bless any conflict.” 

Trump showed no interest in backing down.

“There’s nothing to apologize for. He’s wrong!” the president said last week, adding that the pope should instead be focused on the tens of thousands of Iranian protesters killed by the country’s theocratic regime.

Not everyone in Washington is urging restraint. House Speaker Mike Johnson sided with Trump, telling reporters Wednesday that if the pope chooses to weigh in on political matters, he “should expect some political response.”

Cooling the rhetoric

By Friday, however, Trump appeared to dial things back.

“I have nothing against the pope… the pope can say what he wants, and I want him to say what he wants. But I can disagree,” he told reporters.

Pope Leo was equally measured in his response a day later, suggesting he wasn’t interested in fueling the narrative of a feud.

He clarified that recent remarks criticizing “tyrants” who spend billions on war were not aimed at Trump.

During a speech in Cameroon on Thursday, the pontiff had condemned leaders who “turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education, and restoration are nowhere to be found.”

“The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild,” he said.

While speaking to reporters aboard a flight to Angola on Saturday, the pope insisted the speech had been written "well before the president ever commented on myself." He added, “And yet as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate, again, the president, which is not in my interest at all.”