The Pope's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has made clear that Pope Leo XIV will not change course in response to political tensions.
“The Pope goes forward on his path,” the Vatican Secretary of State said, “preaching the Gospel, preaching peace — opportune et importune,” borrowing St. Paul’s phrase meaning “in season and out of season.”
The cardinal spoke in San Giovanni Rotondo during celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, the hospital founded by Padre Pio in 1956. The renowned medical center remains one of southern Italy’s largest hospitals and a major hub for research and specialized care.
The cardinal’s comments came after another public criticism of Pope Leo XIV by U.S. President Donald Trump, just days before the Pope is scheduled to receive U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican.
“Even in the face of these new attacks, I do not know whether the Pope will have the occasion to respond,” noted the cardinal, pointing to a unique element in what some have characterized as a back-and-forth debate between the Pope and the US president.
Instead, the papal responses have come because of unique elements of timing -- occasions when the Pope is with the press just hours after the president has posted or said something.
Cardinal Parolin noted how the Pope's previous comments regarding Trump were made as he encountered the press on the papal flight during the Apostolic Journey to Africa, and reiterated that his message "remains the same.”
This time, a similar dynamic has occurred, with the president making his statements during a Monday radio show, and Pope Leo having a moment to field questions from the press just a day later, during his habitual departure from Castel Gandolfo.
Read about both Trump's message and Leo's response here:
The same message
Like Pope Leo, Cardinal Parolin also declined to escalate the dispute. Instead, he pointed journalists back to the Pope’s own words during his recent Apostolic Journey to Africa, where Leo insisted that his role is not political maneuvering but fidelity to the Gospel.
“The Pope has already responded,” Cardinal Parolin said. “It was a very, very Christian response.”
According to the cardinal, Leo XIV understands that calls for peace can provoke resistance in a polarized political climate, yet he considers such preaching essential to the papacy itself.
“He is doing what his role requires, which is to preach peace,” Cardinal Parolin explained. “Whether this is pleasing or not, that is another matter.”
Not strategy, but Gospel
The exchange highlights the perennial divide between the Vatican’s moral language and the rhetoric that dominates political arenas. Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly framed peace not as diplomatic strategy but as a Christian obligation rooted in human dignity.
That emphasis has become increasingly visible in recent weeks as conflicts in multiple regions continue to intensify and debates over military escalation sharpen. The Pope’s appeals have consistently avoided partisan framing, focusing instead on the humanitarian and spiritual cost of violence.
Cardinal Parolin’s defense of the pontiff also signals the Vatican’s determination not to be drawn into personality-driven political confrontation. Rather than answer criticism with counterattacks, the Holy See appears intent on repeating the same message with greater clarity.
“We understand that not everyone is on the same page,” Cardinal Parolin acknowledged. “But that is the Pope’s response.”
