Ayo FASORO

 

Pope Leo set out to Africa on a fitting Journey of Hope to a continent that remains a land of want in the midst of plenty; a land of abundant human and natural resources, exploited but unrewarded.

 

The resources are carted across the seas. The humans follow after. Not forced into slavery as of old, but chasing slavery in the face of tyranny, violence and hunger. A total surrender to whatever awaits them in 'igbo odaju,' the land of the callous.

 

Even at that, Pope Leo needed to answer questions about his safety, not in Africa, but from the land of his birth. The strongman has long engaged in an unending battle with the Church; with no signs of retreating.  The Church under attack by the most powerful man on earth is a battle to be avoided.

A man ignorant of the limits of his power is a danger not just to himself, but to all of humanity.

 

The Catholic Church is no ordinary foe. The Catholic Church, by the assurance of Christ Jesus, is invincible, unconquerable; even unmovable. She has been so from the beginning. She is so now; so she ever shall be forever and ever.

 

In January, Pope Leo, yes the Holy Father himself, was invited, but declined, to accept membership of a Board of Peace. Joshua Villanueva explained the refusal in an open article of 6 February in the NCR. “By refusing to lend its name to a leader-centered initiative, the Vatican is drawing a line between peace as a durable, rules-based order and peace as a headline-driven display of power. The message is clear: peace that depends on a single figure may move fast, but it will not last.

“The Vatican leads in a way that defies today's political playbook. It moves with intention and values continuity over quick wins. It speaks the language of principles and institutions, not personalities and trophies. In a world focused on spectacle, this can look timid. In truth, it is how the Vatican protects its freedom to act as a principled voice.

That was strike One.

 

Also in January, Vice President JD Vance traveled to Rome with him, an invitation for the Pope to attend the celebration of the c o u n t r y’s 2 5 0 t h  a n n i v e r s a r y o f independence. Pope Leo similarly declined. Strike Two.

Strike Three came inevitably.

Pope Leo from the onset, lent his moral weight to denouncing the war in the Middle East, as well as in Ukraine. Palm Sunday arrived with no letting off in the wonton genocidal killings.

 

The Holy Father opened his heart. He leaned on the Prophet Isiah: “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood” (Is 1:15). If Isiah’s message would be considered too old to be heard in today’s world, Pope Leo gave the same message in his own words. “Jesus is the King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war.”

“He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”

 

There is no fury like a powerful man undressed by truth. Confronted by a power he cannot defeat. But try he would. Donald Trump, the man of power, engaged the papacy, denouncing the Pope as being weak on crime and foreign policy. Trump’s disrespect to the Pope received immediate condemnation around the world; from leaders of countries, and leaders of all religions.

On the flight to Africa, Pope Leo had to answer questions about his personal safety and security. He responded “I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do.”

 

May the Prince of Peace continue to protect His Church.