Pope Leo, the first pope from the United States, recently shared something personal about his family. In an interview with NBC, he said his grandparents were immigrants and that his mother's side of the family includes both people who were enslaved and people who owned enslaved people. He gave the interview at Castel Gandolfo, the pope's retreat town near Rome, during a prayer event. Leo said he thinks of himself as "more as the pope who happens to be American" rather than putting his American identity first. He also said he has "great love for America" and praised its traditions of freedom, opportunity, and welcoming immigrants. The Guardian

Leo became pope in May 2025 at age 70. Before that, he spent twenty years working as a missionary — someone who travels to spread their faith — in Peru, a country in South America. His time in Latin America and his repeated support for migrants have shaped how he leads as pope. He has called Donald Trump's immigration policies "inhuman" and strongly criticized the US-Israeli war against Iran. These stances have worsened his relationship with the Trump administration. The Guardian

Leo has connected his own family story to the larger American story at several important moments. Right before the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence — the 1776 document that marked the founding of the United States — he gave his first major speech to the American people. In it, he praised the country's history of welcoming migrants and urged Americans to live up to the ideals in the Declaration. On July 4, 2026, he visited Lampedusa, a small Italian island where many migrants from north Africa first arrive in Europe. Vatican News The Guardian

The pope also wrote a letter to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration on July 4, 2026. That same day, he received the 2026 Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center. Vatican News Vatican News

Leo's focus on American identity goes beyond the July anniversary. In June 2025, he met with the National Italian American Foundation at the Vatican, noting that faith was central to many Italian immigrants who came to the US. In January 2026, he warned a group of ambassadors based at the Vatican that human rights and freedoms are under pressure as countries increasingly use military force instead of diplomacy (the practice of countries talking things through rather than fighting). Vatican News Vatican News

The relationship between the Vatican (the headquarters of the Catholic Church) and Washington has been strained by these policy disagreements. Vice President JD Vance invited Leo to visit the White House during a meeting at the Vatican the day after Leo's first major mass as pope. Leo told NBC that no trip to the White House had been planned but that he hoped to visit the US soon. The Guardian

The broader context here is a pope dealing with a tricky mix of faith, identity, and world politics. By sharing that his family history includes both enslavement and slave ownership, Leo is placing his own story inside the unfinished history of race and immigration in the US. Calling himself the pope who happens to be American is a way of saying his job is to serve people everywhere, not just one country. His criticism of Trump's immigration policies and the US-Israeli war against Iran puts him in direct conflict with a White House that has pushed for strict border controls and a forceful approach to foreign affairs.

The tension between the two sides is real. The White House invitation from Vance still has no firm date attached. Leo's use of the word "inhuman" to describe Trump's policies sends a clear message about where he stands morally. His choice to visit Lampedusa on July 4, 2026, was deliberate: it linked the story of America's founding to the present-day crisis of migrants risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

What this means for the relationship between the Vatican and the US government is still unfolding. Leo's approach suggests he will keep speaking out forcefully, as he did in his January 2026 speech to ambassadors, where he warned that diplomacy is losing ground to military force. The key question for those who follow Vatican diplomacy is whether Leo's willingness to challenge Washington directly will damage the long-standing channels of communication between the US and the Vatican, or whether the open White House invitation will eventually lead him toward a more cooperative relationship. For now, Leo seems comfortable keeping the US at a distance while using his global platform to push for changes in how the world treats migrants, human rights, and the use of military force.