Pope Leo gives heartfelt message about the current political situation: “the very framework of human rights is losing its vitality”
The first American pope warns of war, shrinking freedoms and a dangerous shift he says is reshaping politics across the world.
It is probably not too controversial to suggest that the political climate is challenging in many parts of the world at the beginning of 2026. A number of international conflicts have dominated the spotlight in recent years, from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the ongoing wars in Israel and Palestine. More recently, eyes, including Pope Leo XIV’s, have turned toward the Americas.
Trump’s actions put the Americas in focus
In the last week, President Donald Trump launched a military strike on Venezuela, capturing Nicolás Maduro, the country’s president, and his wife, who now face narcoterrorism charges in New York. The United States has pledged to “run” the South American country until further notice, during which time Trump says major American oil companies will “fix” Venezuela’s faltering oil infrastructure.
Trump’s subsequent comments have sparked fears that the U.S. could soon take military action against Colombia and Mexico, earning the American president plenty of criticism from around the globe.
Pope laments “zeal for war”
Among the naysayers, it appears, is Pope Leo, the first American pope, who launched a thinly veiled attack on the president of his homeland in his first “state of the world” address on Friday.
Leo lamented what he described as “a zeal for war” that is spreading, along with the “devastating effects” of those wars. “The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined,” the pope argued.
He emphasized the importance of “peaceful political solutions” instead of military force, and of “keeping in mind the common good of the peoples and not the defense of partisan interests.”
Free speech “rapidly shrinking”
Leo also lashed out at a “painful” trend he sees occurring “especially in the West.” “The space for genuine freedom of expression is rapidly shrinking,” the pope explained. “At the same time, a new Orwellian-style language is developing which, in an attempt to be increasingly inclusive, ends up excluding those who do not conform to the ideologies that are fueling it.”
Following his address, the 70-year-old took to social media to argue that human rights are becoming “short-circuited.”
“The right to freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, religious freedom, and even the right to life are being restricted in the name of other so-called new rights, with the result that the very framework of human rights is losing its vitality and creating space for force and oppression. This occurs when each right becomes self-referential, and especially when it becomes disconnected from reality, nature, and truth,” Leo wrote on X.
Pope Leo criticizes “inhuman treatment” of immigrants
Although the pope did not name names, he has previously been critical of Trump, who has been pilloried for attempting to control and silence the media in the United States. As recently as September last year, Leo said immigrants in the U.S. were being subjected to “inhuman treatment,” which he suggested was not “pro-life.”
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