Commentary: Pope Leo isn't afraid of President Trump. We shouldn't be, either

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“I’m not afraid.”With these three words Sunday morning, Pope Leo XIV offered as powerful a rebuke of President Trump and everything he has wrought on the world as anyone ever has.Three words that mocked Trump for being the bully that he is.Three words that undercut Trump’s self-hyped aura of invincibility.Three words to inspire all good people to fight against Trump — because if a mild-mannered man of God such as Leo isn’t afraid, no one should be.Pope Leo’s words thrilled me as an American but especially as a Catholic.His quiet, confident witness since becoming pontiff in May had already reignited a spiritual light in me to adhere closer to the faith I was brought up in.Rather than cower before a despot who makes the Pharaoh in the Old Testament seem as stable and kind as St.

Francis, the first American pope has resisted Trump like a protester at a “No Kings” rally.Trump’s actions during his second term — war, deportations, nasty rhetoric and a love of himself above all else — have been like fuel to that fire.They stand against everything I was ever taught was good and holy.Hearing Leo’s simple smackdown of the president, at a time when too many people insist we must sink to Trump’s lows to beat him, is like receiving a sacrament I never knew I needed.Leo spoke a few hours after Trump trashed him on social media, calling him “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” — all because of the pope’s critiques of perpetual wars and this country’s vile treatment of undocumented immigrants, while never mentioning anyone by name.Until now.“I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the church works for,” he told reporters while traveling to Algeria to kick off a 10-day African mission.

He repeated the message later, stating: “I have no fear.”In response, Trump ...