Pope Leo's foreign policy

Pope Leo XIV met with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado this week, only the latest in a monthslong series of statements and meetings that have shown the Vatican repeatedly pushing for peace. This week, David Gibson of Fordham University’s Center on Religion and Culture joins host Colleen Dulle to discuss Pope Leo’s approach to foreign policy.

Links from the show:

New York Times Opinion: Pope Leo Confronts Trump on His Own Terms (nytimes.com/2026/01/11/opinion/pope-leo-trump-…)

Pope Leo meets with Venezuelan opposition leader Machado (americamagazine.org/news/2026/01/12/pope-leo-m…)

Washington Post: Inside the frantic global race to find an escape route for Maduro (washingtonpost.com/world/2026/01/09/venezuela-…)

George Orwell is more relevant than ever. Just ask the pope. (americamagazine.org/catholic-book-club/2026/01…)

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0:00 Intro

3:57 Vatican/Venezuela timeline in fall 2025

6:53 Parolin and Burch’s urgent Christmas Eve meeting

11:28 Pope Leo’s comments after U.S. operation

13:11 Leo XIV’s ‘State of the World’ address

20:00 Maria Corina Machado meets Pope Leo

21:50 Why Vatican diplomacy matters

24:36 Is Pope Leo a counterweight to Donald Trump?

27:44 Pope Leo’s message to the American church

29:41 Pope Francis’ vs. Pope Leo’s foreign policy

33:33 Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI’s foreign policies

37:30 What makes Pope Leo’s approach unique?

41:20 The Vatican’s endgame in Venezuela

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