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Blame it on the scriptures. For it is written in the book of Romans, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God”.

And the Son of God makes it clear to the meanest intelligence, telling Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who is about to sentence him to death, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above”.

Two men have taken this very seriously. One has announced he is of divine birth. Far away in America, in the post Easter season, Donald Trump has trumpeted that he is Jesus healing lepers, raising the dead to life, and challenging peacenik Pope Leo to what is a theological duel across the Atlantic Ocean.

Trump shared (and later deleted) an AI-generated image depicting himself in a Christ-like pose – hands glowing, healing a sick man – the leper Lazarus, some said – amid American flags, soldiers, and eagles – only to claim it portrayed him as a physician, not a messianic figure.

The vicar of Christ and the Messiah of evangelical America now spar in a battlefield that stretches the length and breath of the globe where the dollar has penetrated, including some areas where perhaps the Bible has not yet done so.

The spat between president Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV is a remarkable public feud between an incumbent US president and the Pope, who is the first American-born pontiff. The feud began as a policy disagreement over the US-Israel war against Iran and quickly escalated into a broader cultural and theological controversy.

The rift within Christianity

Within Christianity, the rift is profound. Students of church history say Evangelicals (roughly one-third of Trump’s 2024 base) often prioritise alliance with Israel and view strength as moral.

Traditional denominations – Catholics (1.4 billion globally), many mainline Protestants, and Orthodox – lean toward Pope Leo’s Gospel – centred critique.

Trump, fresh off Easter weekend threats against Iran, lashed out at the pope on Truth Social, labeling him “WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign........

© The Wire