May 20, 2025 1:15:56 pm

Pope Leo spent a whopping 17 seconds in the company of JD Vance on Sunday. In contrast, Leo XIV made a huge effort to spend time with Volodymyr Zelensky. It is finally official, Trump is the one doing the tapping along. He spoke to Putin yesterday and gave him exactly what Russia wanted. No outside negotiators, no timeframe, no pressure, no sanctions, no military support for Ukraine. 

It was already visible over the weekend. Vance would act and talk one way, and then contradict himself by talking and acting completely differently. He played all nice when the Pope was watching, but as soon as he got on the plane he immediately changed his tune. From full support for Zelensky, Europe and Ukraine, to saying it is not Americas problem and threatening to walk away from the unresolved conflict. 

Both Vance and Marco Rubio are walking a fine line. They want to be president in 2028, yet the Pope is American. Neither man can afford to have an antagonistic relationship with the Catholic Church. Now that Pope Francis has been replaced with a more progressive Pope, it will be foolish to continue criticizing what conservative Catholics perceive as the Wokeness of the Papacy. 

Even though Trump ran on a platform of Peacemaker, both the wars in Gaza and Ukraine have spiralled out of control. By choosing to side with Netanyahu and Putin, Trump has made things worse, not better. We are now four months into the new administration and peace is but a pipe dream. 

Two-faced diplomacy will not solve these conflicts. The scales of justice are heavily tipped in favor of the oppressor at the expense of the oppressed.