Chevalier de la charité

The suburban Chicago home of a brother to Pope Leo XIV was the site of a false bomb threat Wednesday night.

Police in New Lennox, Illinois, responded at 6:29 p.m. on April 15 to a report of a possible bomb at the residence of John Prevost, an older brother of Robert Francis Prevost, now known worldwide as Pope Leo and the head of the Catholic Church.

According to a statement published to its Facebook page, the New Lennox Police Department dispatched officers to the home on Sojourn Road and evacuated nearby residents. Special units, including an explosive detection K9, surveilled the area.

« A thorough search of the residence and surrounding property was conducted. After careful examination, investigators determined that the threat was unsubstantiated and that no explosive devices or hazardous materials were present, » the police said in its statement.

No injuries occurred and residents returned to their homes the same evening. The false report remains under investigation.

Micah Nuesse, New Lenox chief of police, confirmed in an email the home was the residence of John Prevost. He told National Catholic Reporter that following protocol police will conduct extra patrols in the area and maintain an increased presence.

Nuesse added there were no updates in the investigation as of midday Thursday.

The threat comes amid a multi-day spat of verbal attacks levied by President Donald Trump and his administration against the pope, stemming largely from Leo’s denunciations of the U.S. war in Iran.

On the evening of April 12, Trump posted on his Truth Social online platform that Leo « is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. »

« I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, » Trump said.

The comments came following a story on « 60 Minutes, » the CBS News television magazine, that featured three prominent U.S. cardinals and strong allies of Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, voicing criticisms of the Trump administration’s war in Iran and its crackdown on immigration. The segment portrayed the pope’s own pushback as well against positions and actions taken by the U.S. president.

In his lengthy social media post, the president also expressed fondness for the oldest Prevost brother, Louis, who lives in Florida and has expressed support for Trump and met with him shortly after his brother’s election as pope. Louis Prevost sat alongside Vice President JD Vance and second lady Ursha Vance at the inaugural Mass of Leo’s pontificate.

« I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t! » Trump wrote on Truth Social.

En route to a 11-day visit to four African countries, the pope responded to the president’s verbal critiques by saying he has « no fear of the Trump administration » and would continue speaking out as a peacemaker against war and abuses of the Gospel message.

« Too many people are suffering in the world today, too many innocent people are being killed, and someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way, » Leo told journalists aboard the papal plane April 13.

The home of the middle Prevost brother is 30 miles west from the home where he and his brothers grew up in Dolton, Illinois.

John Prevost described their childhood in the small Chicago suburb in an interview in December with NCR.

« It was a regular neighborhood. We knew most people on the block and it was in the days where you just went out and played. It was safe; parents trusted that you’d be safe if you ran away and came home for dinner. »

President Donald Trump’s attempt to strong-arm Pope Leo XIV via a Truth Social diatribe echoes a pattern seen across global history. Emperors, monarchs and despots have long threatened popes — and often failed — to bend them to their will. In an American context, however, Trump’s invective does represent a historic reversal. For most of this country’s history, Americans viewed the pope as a war-mongering, money-grubbing, anti-democratic menace who harbored imperial designs on the White House. Today, that menace is in the White House, and the pope is the one defending American ideals of liberty and human dignity. It’s especially ironic that the current pontiff is a U.S. citizen — and that his namesake, Pope Leo XIII (who was pontiff from 1878-1903), was the reigning pope during a particularly high point of anti-papal and anti-Catholic sentiment in America.

If you had entered « American pope » into a Google Image search before May 8, 2025, one of the top hits would have been a cartoon under that title that appeared in 1894. Published in Puck Magazine, a widely circulated satirical magazine of the late 19th century, it featured a rendering of Archbishop Francesco Satolli, who had been designated the first official Vatican representative to the United States a year before. Satolli’s appointment heartened U.S. Catholics, who yearned for a closer connection between their country and their church. But it horrified many U.S. Protestants, who believed any such alliance would undermine Americans’ commitment to democracy and religious freedom. The Puck cartoon illustrated those fears. Perched on top of a giant dome that resembled St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome but was branded « American headquarters, » Satolli cast a dark shadow over a crudely drawn U.S. map.

Instead of matching Satolli’s own countenance, the shadow evoked that of Leo XIII. Readers of Puck would have instantly recognized the caricature of Leo, who had often been depicted in its pages pursuing his two favorite endeavors: stealing money and stealing U.S. elections.  « At it Again, » declared a November 1885 cartoon that pictured Leo inside a ballot box, stretching out his arms to tear down the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the establishment of a national religion.

From the early days of the republic, the majority Protestant population had fretted that Catholics’ allegiance to the pope — a temporal prince as well as spiritual leader — would compromise their loyalty to the United States. As the Catholic population increased, in large part through immigration, so, too, did anxieties about Catholic and papal power. Anti-Catholic and anti-papal sentiment intensified during periods of national turmoil.

Puck’s « American Pope » cartoon, for example, appeared in the middle of one of the worst economic depressions in the country’s history. Conspiracy theorists seized the moment, alleging that Pope Leo himself had orchestrated a run on U.S. banks, seeking to destabilize the country in preparation for a papal takeover. They insisted that Satolli, Leo’s new apostolic delegate, was simply part of his advance guard.

Concerns about papal meddling in U.S. affairs continued to shape the story of Catholics in America well into the 20th century. (They famously hamstrung New York’s Gov. Al Smith, the first Catholic nominee of a major political party, in his quest to win the U.S. presidency in 1928). U.S. Catholics embraced a hyperpatriotism that chipped away at these fears, but they didn’t dissipate significantly until the onset of the Cold War, when the United States and the Catholic Church found common cause in the battle against Communism. It was actually the church’s fierce anti-Communism that generated the first serious proposals that a U.S. Catholic might be elevated to the papacy. Writing in the Paulist publication The Catholic World in 1950, Rev. A.R. Pinzi suggested that cardinal-electors consider voting for one of the U.S. cardinals in the next conclave. An American pope, Pinzi argued, would be a deterrent against Communism because it would effectively foil any Communist plot to kidnap the pope. 

Americans’ supposed commitment to religious freedom, the theory went, would lead them to protect one of their own at all costs. Should a European pontiff fall into Communist hands, Americans might not feel obligated to intervene. If, on the other hand, « an American were in peril of that holy office or his life, » it would be « Josef Stalin’s worst nightmare. » All U.S. citizens, « regardless of their own religious beliefs, » would rise up to defend religious freedom as energetically in Rome as they did at home. 

Pope Leo has said that he isn’t afraid of Donald Trump, and he shouldn’t be. His own pontificate will surely outlast the Trump presidency, and the institution of the papacy has survived far worse threats throughout the last two millennia. But U.S. Catholics, and indeed all Americans, should be deeply troubled by Trump’s broadside against Pope Leo. In a twist that Pinzi could never have imagined, an American pope has now been threatened by a U.S. president. Will Americans, inspired by their fellow citizens, rise up to this outrageous threat against religious freedom — or will they tolerate it because it now resides in the White House? 

Even before touching down in Algeria, Pope Leo XIV had already made headlines with his candid, airborne comments to reporters in response to an attack lodged against him by President Donald Trump on social media. 

And immediately upon arrival, Leo stepped into uncharted territory for a pope, becoming the first leader of the Catholic Church to visit Algeria and bringing with him a message of reconciliation, justice and unity in the overwhelmingly Muslim-majority nation still reckoning with the wounds of its colonial past and the division of its decade-long civil war which ended in 2002.

The pope’s arrival in Algiers on April 13 marked the first stop on his ambitious 11-day, four-nation tour of the African continent where he will pay homage to his spiritual father, St. Augustine, and turn his gaze toward the demographic future of the church in sub-Saharan Africa. 

On the flight to Algiers, the pope told journalists that his trip to Algeria was the first international voyage he wanted to embark on as pope, proposing the prospect shortly after his election in May 2025. His two other previous trips, to Turkey and Lebanon and a one-day visit to Monaco, came in response to invitations issued to his predecessors, Popes Francis and Benedict XVI, respectively.

As head of the Augustinian religious order, Leo had already visited Algeria twice; the order maintains a small presence in Annaba, the site of ancient Hippo where Augustine was a bishop. 

Though Leo’s trip began in a country with a 99% Muslim population, his next stops will take him to Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea — Christian-majority nations with significant Catholic populations that increasingly make up a larger proportion of the global church. 

In his first day, however, Leo advanced a stated objective of his trip to Algeria, to build « bridges between the Christian world and the Muslim world. » He met with government officials, the capital’s tiny Catholic community and visited the Great Mosque of Algiers – the world’s largest after the mosques in Mecca and Medina with a capacity of 120,000 people.

This is not Leo’s first visit to a mosque as pope, but it appeared to have been the first time he took a few moments to pray inside one. 

Leo made headlines in December when during his visit to Istanbul’s Blue Mosque his first visit to a mosque, because it was not visibly clear that he prayed inside, unlike his two immediate predecessors, Francis and Benedict XVI, each of whom had both publicly prayed there during their visits to Turkey. 

On Monday (April 13), however, Leo stood in silence for more than 30 seconds before the mosque’s qibla, the wall facing Mecca, alongside the mosque’s rector Mohamed Mamoun Al Qasimi.

The sober moment came after the two walked around the mosque’s sprawling interior in socks, as it is customary to remove one’s shoes upon entering a mosque. 

Leo and Al Qasimi then stood side by side in front of the nearby journalists, in what was a much more choreographed visit than the pope’s mosque visit in Istanbul some four months ago. 

Before that visit, the pope preached a message of justice and shared commitment for the common good in his meetings with government officials.

Although Algeria’s government is widely regarded as an authoritarian regime, Leo told government officials that « the true strength of a nation lies in the cooperation of everyone in pursuing the common good. »

« Authorities are called not to dominate, but to serve the people and foster their development, » he said at Algeria’s presidential palace. « Political action thus finds its guiding criterion in justice, without which there can be no authentic peace, and is expressed in the promotion of fair and dignified conditions for all. »

He urged leaders to pursue dialogue and allow themselves to be « moved by the pain of others, » which he said is « more urgent than ever in the face of continuous violations of international law and neocolonial tendencies. »

The pope told government officials that « the Catholic Church, too, through her communities and initiatives, wishes to contribute to the common good of Algeria. »

The Algerian government and the church have had their fair share of tensions in recent years: The government shut down the church’s local Caritas charitable organization in 2022 because it was considered a « foreign nongovernmental organization. » French-born and Algerian-nationalized Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, who accompanied the pope throughout his day in Algiers, has been a key figure in smoothing over the church’s relationship with the government.

Although Algeria only has about 9,000 Catholics in a country of 46.7 million the pope received the red carpet treatment when he visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, where an inscription in the church’s apse asks Mary to « pray for us and for the Muslims. »

In addressing the jubilant crowd, Leo recalled the 19 Catholic martyrs who were killed in Algeria’s civil war while serving Christian and Muslim communities. 

« In the face of hatred and violence, they remained faithful to charity even to the point of sacrificing themselves alongside many other men and women, Christians and Muslims, » the pope said. 

« Peace and harmony have been fundamental characteristics of the Christian community from its very beginnings, » he continued. « Faith does not isolate, but opens us up; it unites us, but does not create confusion; it brings us closer, without homogenizing, and fosters true fraternity. »

President Donald J. Trump published a lengthy attack on Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night, calling the first U.S.-born pope « terrible on Foreign Policy, » citing Leo’s opposition to the ongoing war in Iran and U.S. military action in Venezuela and stating that his pontificate is hurting the church. 

« I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon, » Trump posted to Truth Social on Sunday night. « I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History. »

Trump made similar comments to reporters on Sunday gathered at Joint Base Andrews. 

Trump’s post came shortly after « 60 Minutes » aired an interview featuring three U.S. Cardinals – Blase Cupich of Chicago, Joseph Tobin of Newark and Robert McElroy of Washington – who were critical of  Trump’s foreign policy objectives and his deportation strategies at home. 

In introducing the « 60 Minutes » segment, CBS News journalist Norah O’Donnell said that Leo had become « increasingly outspoken » against the Trump administration’s policies, and that the pope has emerged as a voice of moral opposition to the war in Iran and the administration’s mass deportation campaign.

O’Donnell asked the three cardinals whether they would like to see Leo be even more outspoken on issues that he disagrees with. Tobin said that the pope is « the pastor of the world, he’s not a pundit. »

« So the distinction is that he’s not going to pronounce on everything, but he’s going to pronounce on what’s important, » Tobin said.

On April 7, Trump threatened Iran, posting on social media, « a whole civilization will die, » which prompted Leo to respond, saying such threats were  « truly unacceptable. »  On Saturday, Leo led a prayer service for peace in Rome, and while he did not mention Trump by name, his comments seemed aimed at the ongoing war. 

« Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! » the pope said. « True strength is shown in serving life. »

In his post on Truth Social, Trump praised Leo’s brother, Louis, whom he hosted at the White House last year, and he also took credit for Leo’s election as pope.

« Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise, » Trump wrote on Truth Social. « He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. » 

« If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican, » Trump wrote. 

In his post, Trump also accused the pope of being « WEAK on crime, » and said that his pontificate is bad for the church.

« Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church! » Trump wrote. 

Leo departs for a 11-day tour through Africa on Monday. 

After a Holy Week in which he ramped up his previously restrained antiwar rhetoric, Pope Leo XIV is not taking his foot off the gas, issuing an emphatic appeal for world leaders to abandon the pursuit of power and work for peace. 

« Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! » the pope said at a prayer vigil for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica April 11. « True strength is shown in serving life. »

Leo announced the uncommon and unprompted prayer vigil in his Easter Sunday address April 5, giving the pontiff another yet occasion to make the case for world peace following his Holy Week celebrations in which the theme of peace featured prominently. 

In his speech, delivered after praying the rosary, Leo directly addressed world leaders on behalf of the « millions and billions of men and women, young and old, who today choose to believe in peace, caring for the wounds and repairing the damage left behind by the madness of war. »

« To them we cry out: Stop! It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided! » he said. 

Though not referencing any specific conflict by name, the pope invoked the legacy of St. John Paul II, recalling his predecessor’s efforts to avert the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Then, the Polish pope made numerous appeals to prevent the war’s outbreak and sent Cardinal Pio Laghi, former Vatican ambassador to the United States, to talk President George W. Bush out of the invasion and deliver the president a letter from the pope. 

Laghi later described the Iraq war as « illegal and unjust. » Discussing the Iran war on April 7, Leo told reporters that many people have called the war in Iran « unjust, » a term rooted in Catholic just war teaching for conflicts that fail to meet moral criteria.

The pope’s speech at the prayer vigil also came after a January meeting was revealed to have taken place between Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s most recent ambassador to the United States, and Pentagon officials. The Free Press, which initially reported the meeting, described the meeting as an effort by Pentagon officials to insist that the United States can exert its military might however it sees fit and that the Catholic Church « had better take its side. »

The Department of Defense and U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch both disputed that characterization of the meeting, with Burch quoting Pierre to describe the reporting around the meeting as « fabrications. »

At the pope’s prayer service, attended by 36 cardinals and patriarchs and 50 bishops, the pope said that prayer is not « an anesthetic to numb the pain provoked by so much injustice, » but rather in prayer human thoughts, words and deeds « break the demonic cycle of evil and are placed at the service of the Kingdom of God. »

« A Kingdom in which there is no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialization of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness, » the pope said.

Prayer, he continued, is « a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive, » particularly at a time when « the balance within the human family has been severely destabilized. »

In his remarks Leo echoed his Palm Sunday homily in which he stated that Jesus « does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, » presenting a striking contrast to the religious rhetoric of U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth who has repeatedly invoked Jesus’ name in public prayers for the United States’ victory in the war in Iran. 

« Even the holy name of God, the God of life, is being dragged into discourses of death, » Leo said at the vigil. « Those who pray are aware of their own limitations; they do not kill or threaten with death. »

« Instead, death enslaves those who have turned their backs on the living God, turning themselves and their own power into a mute, blind and deaf idol, to which they sacrifice every value, demanding that the whole world bend its knee, » he said.

Beyond the basilica, pilgrims also gathered outside in the breezy Roman afternoon to join in the vigil from St. Peter’s Square; Leo stopped in the square to greet them and thank them for their participation.

« We want to say to the whole world that it is possible to build peace, a new peace, » the pope told them before entering the basilica. « That it is possible to live together, all people, of all religions, of all races, that we want to be disciples of Jesus Christ united as brothers and sisters, all united in a world of peace. »