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The Conversation
The Conversation
Joëlle Rollo-Koster, Professor of Medieval History, University of Rhode Island

Trump’s clash with the pope reenacts a 1,000-year-old question: What happens when sacred and secular power collide?

Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as emperor on Christmas Day, 800 A.D. Levan Ramishvili/Flickr via Wikimedia Commons

Alarm over the war of words between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV has escalated with remarkable speed, from The New York Times to the Daily Beast and local television.

The pope has repeatedly called for peace in the Middle East since the start of the Iran war, insisting that “God does not bless any conflict” and warning against the “delusion of omnipotence.”

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