Does the Pope Speak with Political Authority?

US Ambassador Brian Burch recently said that when Pope Leo spoke out against the war in Iran, he was not doing so as a leader of the Roman Catholic Church, adding that he was speaking as a world leader of the Holy See. What authority does the pope have in such occasions? Matthew Bunson joins us with more on this and other Church news.Further ReadingAre the US Ambassador and Vatican News Both Wrong About the Pope’s Status as a Head of State?Vatican clarifies pope’s role ‘as universal shepherd’ in wake of US ambassador’s commentsPope Leo XIV names another Chinese bishop under Vatican-Beijing agreementBrazil’s Catholic youth want more doctrine, a reverent liturgy, and less politics, survey findsFrance becomes first European country to ban social media for minors under 15Guest InfoMatthew Bunson is Vice President and Editorial Director of EWTN News and a Senior Fellow at St Paul Center for Biblical Theology. He’s the author or co-author of more than 50 books including the first English-language biography of Pope Francis and The Encyclopedia of Catholic History. Follow him on twitter at MattBunson. Register Radio airs Saturdays at 4 pm and Sundays at 11 am on Ave Maria Radio This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com