LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — When I entered Saint Peter’s Basilica, I was a 16-year-old student traveling with a school group. Although I went in with no knowledge of Catholicism or the pope himself, I left with my perspective changed and a drive to understand and help address the devastation the world is facing.
It was our last full day on our Italy trip, April 11, and we were under clear instructions on the day’s agenda. After first touring the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, we made our way over to the official entrance. As I walked through, I became entranced by a world I never knew. Unlike many, I had never grown up surrounded by a religion or been aware of the culture. I had no idea what a saint or apostle was or who they even were. I was slightly ashamed knowing I know nothing about the history of it, plenty of people will work their whole life to go to the Vatican; but I, a girl who knew nothing about its significance, found myself standing at the center.
When reaching the basilica, we were surprised to hear that instead of simply touring as we had initially intended, we would be attending a prayer vigil for peace that Pope Leone XIV would be leading. Our plans changed quickly after this sudden change. I soon found myself fighting through crowds of people, all swarming to the basilica. As I walked in, I almost felt paralyzed by the change in atmosphere. My school trip across Italy had led me to visit numerous churches and cathedrals, but none of them could compare to how beautiful Saint Peter’s Basilica was.
It was the pope’s last event in the Vatican before his month-long tour in Africa, so before he entered for the prayer vigil, he gave a speech outside the basilica. His speech was in Italian, and at that moment, it hadn’t occurred to me to try to translate it; it wasn’t until after the trip that I made this effort.
“We want to say to the whole world that it is possible to build peace, a new peace,” Pope Leo XIV said in his speech, “(It) is possible to live together, all people, of all religions, of all races, that we want to be disciples of Jesus Christ united as brothers and sisters, all united in a world of peace.
After his speech outside of the basilica, surrounded by other church officials, he made his way inside where a crowd awaited him for a prayer vigil.
Throughout the gathering, song verses were sung and speeches were made in between them. I had never attended a catholic event before, and this specific service was performed in Italian, which motivated me to translate what they were saying. I only then began to read the speeches Pope Leo was calling out, leaving me truly changed.
“Even the holy name of God, the God of life, is being dragged into discourses of death,” said Pope Leo in the speech. “Those who pray are aware of their own limitations; they do not kill or threaten with death.”
As Pope Leo went on with his speech, I listened intently while reading, trying to understand his tone and conviction. The intent of his voice and the surroundings of the basilica made it feel entirely different than reading it in an article. I was there, and in the moment he was calling out the injustice of power and calling for change about war, I felt personally drawn to his words.
“To them we cry out: Stop! It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned, and deadly actions are decided,” he cried out to the crowd.
I may not be entirely educated about all religions, but I am well aware that the pope is considered one of the holiest of humans who represents strong moral standards. Seeing this and hearing his words in person made me feel more strongly about my views and feel disappointed about the current tragedies in the world.
These words, although needed, were hard to swallow, but I didn’t end up leaving with hope completely gone. The prayer vigil had something I haven’t felt for a few years: it had unification and community. People from all around the world were attending. I saw people from nearly every continent coming together to pray for world peace. Even though I’m still young, I’m growing up, and a part of this has led me to slowly lose what many people have already lost: trust.
I felt an incredible amount of hope and trust in the world when I left the basilica. But I know this feeling must come with hard work and compliance from many communities. I haven’t felt the way I did leaving the basilica in a long time, but I hope someday I can again.
Coming home
When I came home, I still felt that intense feeling that I did in the basilica. I wanted a change in the world and was hopeful about it occurring. This feeling did quickly change when I saw President Donald Trump’s remarks on Pope Leo’s statements.
President Trump made multiple statements, all of which contained a similar theme that he believes Pope Leo shouldn’t be involved in politics.
All while this controversy was occurring, Trump posted a photo generated with artificial intelligence on Truth Social on April 13. This picture depicts him in front of the heavens and an American flag, healing a sick man. The main issue with this post was Trump’s depiction of himself as Jesus.
“It’s supposed to make people better. And I do make people better. A lot better,” said President Trump, in front of the White House, to reporters on April 13, when asked about the post.
Trump has since claimed the picture was meant to depict him as a doctor nursing a man, not as Jesus. The post was then deleted on Monday morning, April 13, but that didn’t stop the discourse from expanding.
I may not know much about Christianity, but I do know it is considered offensive to portray yourself as Jesus. Not to mention the poor timing of that occurring after having recent controversies with the pope. There isn’t much of a moral high ground to stand on after that.
While President Trump’s main argument may be that popes shouldn’t be involved in political affairs, he’s far off from being correct. In the history of popes, there have been plenty of popes who have spoken out against the governments of various countries.
In my opinion, the pope speaking out about the war in Iran makes perfect sense. The pope isn’t calling out Trump for issues with economic or domestic policies; he’s discussing a topic that goes against his and many others’ moral views. War is a complicated subject but over the centuries it’s been around, peace activists have fought for a better solution. It should be expected that the pope would be among these people advocating against violence.
“The Pope has to understand that this is the real world,” said President Trump, outside the White House, when talking to reporters on Thursday, April 16.
New information is coming out daily for Trump’s plans for ending the war and his military campaigns, as well as his opinions on the pope. Ultimately, I wasn’t surprised when coming home to see my government going against what the pope said, but it hurts to see it go beyond disagreement and turn into a fit of contention.
When listening to Pope Leo’s speech, I didn’t feel there was much to disagree on. I’m not religious, but after I visited the Vatican, I now see religion is more than a faith but a system of values and ethics one can hold themselves to. My perspective on not only religion, but international conflicts has changed after this trip, and I believe anyone else who feels conflicted between these two topics should listen to Pope Leo’s speech.
