US president Donald Trump’s public criticism of Pope Leo XIV has rightly received widespread condemnation. It is a major miscalculation by a leading international figure renowned for his thin skin and ignorance of diplomacy.

When a US president verbally attacks the first-ever American pope, the world takes notice – even in this so-called secular age in the West, and in the developing world, with its millions of faithful.

Here in Northern Ireland, one observer, with the typically Ulster dark sense of humour, remarked that “Trump is not the first ‘Orangeman’ to fall out with the pope”. Trump also managed to annoy the late Dr Ian Paisley’s son Rev Kyle Paisley and Wallace Thompson, one of the former DUP leader’s close associates, by his alleged “blasphemy”.

People have been claiming that Trump has been losing the plot, but in criticising the pope so harshly, he now seems to have lost the run of himself. His behaviour is grounded not only in his erratic man-child behaviour, but also in the notion that he has been preserved by God to make America great again. This misguided concept has been strongly reinforced by the failed assassination attempts on Trump, and the unquestioning acceptance by his Maga followers that this is God’s will.

Trump administration deports elderly Irishman from US to Costa Rica under controversial deal

Government and civil servants uneasy over President’s choice of first overseas trip

Grace O’Malley-Kumar, killed in Nottingham attacks, ‘was too good to be true’, say parents

The surprise findings from Census 1926: Only 1% returns in Irish and ‘so many nuns’ living to 100

That form of national madness was further reinforced by the image of Trump in papal robes before the election of Pope Leo last year. This distasteful act was a warning of more to come.

[ In Trump’s America, everyday conversations now would have been unimaginable three years agoOpens in new window ]

More recently, Trump posted an AI image of himself looking like Jesus. Though he denied this was his intention, he withdrew the post, but still managed to shock very large numbers of Catholics in the US, including some of his Maga supporters. All this raises further questions about Trump’s judgment and his suitability to be president.

Even before his verbal attack on the pope, there was unease at the picture of evangelical pastors crowding into the Oval Office to pray for him as virtually a Holy Crusader for Christianity in a global war against other faiths and cultures. This flawed concept of Trump’s allegedly divine mission was further reflected in the comments of US defence secretary, the abrasive Pete Hegseth, who seemed to characterise the rescue of the downed US pilot in Iran over the Easter weekend as a kind of modern resurrection.

It is all the more laudable, therefore, that one of the clearest voices in international public discourse is that of Pope Leo, who has consistently spelt out his strong opposition to the Iran war. This was the trigger point for Trump’s ridiculous outburst, in which he denounced the pope as “ weak” and “terrible”. He also claimed, ludicrously, that Leo XIV was elected because Trump was in the White House.

Leo’s response was a signal to all other Church leaders in speaking truth to power. He said he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and would continue to speak out against the war on Iran.

He cut simply to the heart of the Christian message when he said: “I don’t think the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.”

This was in sharp contrast to Trump’s expletive-strewn message on Easter Sunday, which threatened the annihilation of a civilisation that refused to bow to his bullying and warmongering.

The pope’s strong voice is a breath of fresh air in a world where so many people are searching for meaning and purpose in the face of widespread materialism, corruption and violence.

It is worth noting that despite all the justified criticisms of the Catholic Church, there is still respect for a pope of the calibre of Leo XIV, whose background as a missionary and as a man of God adds credibility to his strong defence of the Gospel. Our church leaders nearer home have also had their challenges, not least in the abuse of children and older people, as witnessed by the Catholic Church and now the Presbyterian Church, which is buried deep in its self-made quagmire over child safeguarding.

[ War and Peace: A tale of two Easter messages from Donald Trump and Pope LeoOpens in new window ]

Perhaps it is easier for those on the sidelines to criticise the clergy and laity in our churches for not speaking out more strongly for Christian values, whatever the outcome. There is a cost for doing so. However, it is worth remembering that one of the greatest virtues of the founder of Christianity himself was his exemplary courage in taking on the tyrants of his day, which he knew would lead to his crucifixion. That is why the outrageous antics of Trump and so many of his followers often seem utterly misguided, to the point of blasphemy, and something that believers and non-believers find so reprehensible.

Alf McCreary is former religion correspondent of the Belfast Telegraph, where he is a columnist. His latest book, Keeping the Faith, is published by Messenger

© The Irish Times