‘Don’t Take the Bait’: A Roundtable on Trump’s Pope Comments

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” America Editor-in-Chief Fr. Sam Sawyer, SJ, joins Vatican Correspondent Colleen Dulle and Executive Editor Ashley McKinless for a roundtable discussion on the recent comments President Trump and other administration officials have made about Pope Leo, and the pope’s response given en route to his tour of four African countries.

In the first part of the show, Colleen gives an update on the papal journey across Africa.

0:00 Intro

0:25 Pope Leo in Algeria

1:26 Pope Leo in Cameroon

3:00 President Trump's words for Pope Leo

4:20 Pope Leo's criticism of war

5:40 Pope Leo's response to Trump

7:50 U.S. Bishops respond to Trump

8:47 Reactions to Trump's tirade

10:30 Did Trump influence Leo's election?

13:25 Don't take the President's bait

17:05 Impact on U.S.-Vatican relation

Links:

•
Interview: What Pope Leo’s visit means for Algeria’s tiny Catholic population (americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/04/1…)

•
Pope Leo’s first trip to Africa: what you need to know (americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/04/1…)

•
Pope Leo in Algeria: ‘The future belongs to men and women of peace’ (americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/04/1…)

•
Pope Leo walks in the footsteps of St. Augustine in Hippo (americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/04/1…)

•
Pope Leo on plane to Cameroon: St. Augustine invites us to search for God and truth (americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/04/1…)

•
Pope Leo to Cameroon’s leaders: Break the ‘chains of corruption,’ invest in young people (americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/04/1…)

•
Trump is trying to distract us from Pope Leo’s calls for peace. Don’t take the bait. (americamagazine.org/many-things/2026/04/13/tru…)

•
South Africa’s Cardinal Brislin: Trump cannot silence Pope Leo or the church (americamagazine.org/politics-society/dispatche…)

•
US bishops’ doctrine chair defends church’s just war tradition after JD Vance comments (americamagazine.org/news/2026/04/15/jd-vance-j…)

Follow Gerry on X: @gerryorome (x.com/gerryorome)

Follow Colleen on Instagram: @colleendulle (instagram.com/colleendulle)

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