Cardinal Blase Cupich appeared on 60 Minutes, and publicly criticized the White House’s social media strategy around the Iran war. The Chicago-based cardinal said he was deeply frustrated by how the government has been promoting its military efforts online.
The main issue is that official government accounts have been mixing real combat footage with clips from popular movies. According to Mediaite, a March post on X showed imagery from Top Gun: Maverick and Braveheart spliced together with footage of actual bombings. When correspondent Norah O’Donnell asked him about this, Cardinal Cupich said he is “appalled” by what he sees as the gamification of a serious conflict.
He said that these posts “dehumanize the victims of war” by turning the suffering of people, the killing of children, and the experiences of soldiers into entertainment. “Splicing together movie scenes with the actual targeting of human beings for the sake of entertainment,” he said, “is not who we are” as a nation.
The Catholic Church is pushing back hard against the administration’s war stance
The interview also featured two other prominent American Catholic leaders, Cardinal Joseph Tobin and Cardinal Robert McElroy. Cardinal McElroy acknowledged that Iran’s regime is “an abominable one that should be removed,” but called the current conflict “a war of choice” and expressed concern that the United States is stuck in “a cycle of war after war.”
The tension between the Vatican and the White House has been building for some time. Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope, has been openly critical of the administration’s aggressive approach. In March, he spoke with Norah O’Donnell in Rome and called for a ceasefire and a collaborative path toward peace for all parties involved.
The Pope made clear that his concern was not just political but deeply rooted in the Church’s long-standing position on the sanctity of human life and the moral responsibilities of world leaders during times of armed conflict.
This is not the only area where the administration’s conduct has drawn criticism; the White House has also faced backlash over its new app demanding invasive phone permissions. The Pope’s tone became sharper after President Trump publicly threatened to “wipe out” an entire civilization in Iran if its leaders refused to make a deal. Pope Leo XIV called that threat “truly unacceptable.”
The Pope’s response was swift and direct, and it signaled that the Vatican was no longer willing to stay quiet while such extreme language was being used on the world stage. Many within the Church viewed Trump’s words as a serious escalation that demanded a firm moral response. Trump responded with his own attacks on the Pope through Truth Social, claiming the Pope should “get his act together” and calling him “weak” on nuclear weapons and foreign policy.
Trump also suggested the Pope was only elected because he was American, and that he would not be in the Vatican if Trump were not in the White House. Meanwhile, Trump’s administration has also drawn scrutiny for offering pardon promises to White House staff. Despite these attacks, Pope Leo XIV has remained calm.While traveling to Algeria at the start of an 11-day trip to Africa, he told reporters he has “no fear” of the Trump administration.
According to BBC, he said he does not see himself as a politician, has no desire to debate the President, and remains focused on the humanitarian cost of these conflicts. He continued to call on world leaders to find a responsible way to de-escalate before the situation causes further irreversible damage to civilian lives and regional stability.
Published: Apr 13, 2026 09:30 am