The most influential American in the world has almost always been the U.S. President.
But for the first time in history, maybe POTUS has a serious rival, Pope Leo XIV.
I have no fear either the Trump administration or speaking out loudly about the message in the gospel.
Since his election last May, Leo has steadily become more vocal about President Donald Trump,
criticizing his policies on immigration and foreign policy interventions like Venezuela and increasingly Iran.
He's a man that doesn't believe in stopping crime.
In the last week, it seemed, President Trump took it up a notch and erupted.
I'm not a fan of Pope Leo.
From the BBC in London, I'm Tristan Redman.
And I'm Asma Khaled.
And today on The Global Story, what happens when an American pope takes on an American president?
In today's episode, we 'll be speaking with the BBC's Ed Sturton,
a man who knows his way round both US politics and the Catholic Church.
But first, it's worth a quick recap.
Now, you all have probably heard and you've probably seen some of the beef between the Pope and the President.
The situation has been tense for some time on issues like immigration and deportation.
But it really started ratcheting up in January.
In the wake of the U.S. Intervention in Venezuela, talking to diplomats in Rome, the Pope said,
A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force
by either individuals or groups of allies.