Vatican clarifies pope’s role ‘as universal shepherd’ in wake of US ambassador’s comments

When the pope speaks out on matters of war and peace, is he doing so as a religious authority or a political leader? A U.S. diplomat and a Vatican official recently expressed contrasting views on the question.

According to the New York Times last week, U.S. ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch argued that when Pope Leo spoke out against the war in Iran, “he was not doing so as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the vicar of Christ.”

“When the pope acts as the sovereign leader of the Holy See, he is coequal with world leaders,” Burch is quoted as telling the NYT in an interview published online July 9.

A rare op-ed from the editorial director of Vatican communications , Andrea Tornielli, appeared just days later, stating that “even when he speaks about war and peace … the successor of Peter remains, above all, a spiritual leader.”

While the Vatican News editorial did not mention Burch by name, it addressed the ambassador’s argument in the NYT interview.

Pope Leo XIV has dinner with U.S. Ambassador Brian Burch and his family at the ambassador’s residence in Rome on July 4, 2026. | Credit: U.S. Embassy to the Holy See

“Any glorification or exaggeration of the…