Pope Leo XIV during a vigil for peace inside Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, April 11, 2026. GREGORIO BORGIA/AP
Members of the diplomatic corps took their seats on Saturday evening, April 11, in the section reserved for them in Saint Peter's Basilica, not far from the cardinals and bishops. Clergy and ambassadors accredited to the Holy See had gathered to attend the prayer for peace, announced at the last minute by Pope Leo XIV. Among them, however, one was missing: US representative Brian Burch.
A Catholic and active supporter of Donald Trump, who encouraged voters to back the US president through the organization CatholicVote, Burch may not have wished to hear what everyone expected would be another broadside from the head of the Church against the aggressive foreign policy of the United States. For days, the American pope, a Chicago native usually known for his caution, had forcefully denounced the wars led by the Trump administration and Israel in Iran and Lebanon. He had even gone so far as to call on American Catholics to pressure their elected officials to oppose this military involvement.
"Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life," Leo XIV declared on Saturday. "It is time for peace!" he added. "Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided!"
