Pope Leo XIV Reaffirms the American Order As Right Order
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, is reaffirming the American Order which is right order. Essential to the American Order are four principles: primacy of the person, the existence of a community of nations, the centrality of the rule of law, and peace as the ultimate goal of society. Leo’s actions in the first four months of this year demonstrate the Catholic Church’s commitment to this right ordering of domestic and international society for the benefit of all peoples. This commitment by the Church became apparent, official even, with Pope St John XXIII’s Pacem In Terris and the work of the Second Vatican Council held more than sixty years earlier.
January at the Vatican
The Pope began a catechesis on Vatican II at the start of the year. He repeated a statement of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, given as part of the “First Message at the End of the Eucharistic Concelebration with the Members of the College of Cardinals” shortly after Benedict’s ascension to the papacy: “as the years have passed, the Conciliar Documents have lost none of their timelines; indeed, their teachings are proving particularly relevant to the new situation of the Church and the current globalized society.”1 Pope Leo said that “Thanks to Vatican Council II, the Church `has something to say, a message to give, a communication to make’ [reference to Saint Paul VI’s Ecclesiam Suam, 65]” and is “striving to seek the truth by way of ecumenism, interreligious dialogue and dialogue with people of good will.”2 Vatican II helped “restore primacy to God, to what is essential: to a Church madly in love with its Lord and with all the men and women whom he loves” said Leo quoting the late Pope Francis.3 The Council was a way to improve the world as it would meet the “urgent appeal of the peoples of the world for more justice, in their will for peace, in their conscious or unconscious thirst for a higher life, that life precisely which the Church of Christ can and wishes to give them.”4 The Church was, and is, a fellow traveler with all those who seek justice and peace as part of right order.
Two days after the Vatican II catechesis, Leo greeted the Diplomatic Corps and gave an extensive address in which he explicitly endorsed the American World Order. St Augustine, like America, set forth “fundamental issues concerning social and political life” to include the “search for a more just and peaceful coexistence among peoples.” Dangers included “false representations of history, excessive nationalism and the distortion of the ideal of the political leader.” 5 These are the very things which describe the Russian character and Russian society.
Multilateralism, which is how humanity cooperates and which characterizes the American World Order, was under attack at the international level. Leo said the “purpose of multilateralism, then, is to provide a place where people can meet and talk, modeled on the ancient Roman forum or the medieval square.”6 Multilateralism is the very thing which the American created United Nations allows.
The rule of law is a principle that is foundational to the American World Order and approved by the Catholic Church especially as this principle provides peace. The Pope explained:
“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. War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading. The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined. Peace is no longer sought as a gift and a desirable good in itself, or in the pursuit of `the establishment of the ordered universe willed by God, with a more perfect form of justice among men and women.’ Instead, peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one’s own dominion. This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence.”7
Humanitarian law holds a special place, and the needs of the international community take precedence over the wants of any one nation. This is the moral order, and the moral order requires the subordination of the good of individual nations to the good of all nations, to the good of the international order. At the heart of the moral order is the dignity of the person, something America always knew. Leo said:
“Compliance with this [humanitarian law] cannot depend on mere circumstances and military or strategic interests. Humanitarian law, in addition to guaranteeing a minimum of humanity during the ravages of war, is a commitment that States have made. Such law must always prevail over the ambitions of belligerents, in order to mitigate the devastating effects of war, also with a view to reconstruction. We cannot ignore that the destruction of hospitals, energy infrastructure, homes and places essential to daily life constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law. The Holy See firmly reiterates its condemnation of any form of involvement of civilians in military operations. It likewise hopes that the international community will remember that the protection of the principle of the inviolability of human dignity and the sanctity of life always counts for more than any mere national interest.”8
World War II came about as a result of those who wanted “only the peace that they desire” and not peace as an end in itself, meaning that they sought their own national good to the exclusion of other nations or in contravention of the good of the international society, and certainly in contravention of the dignity of the person by making war.9 Violation of peace for selfish goals which happens when the rule of law is disregarded and the dignity of the person ignored, leads to war, suffering, and darkness. All the things that the American World Order did away with are coming back with the tyrants who ignore the existence and needs of the international community, seek national goals in contravention of the moral order which requires acting for the benefit of the community of nations, see the person as an individual to be used and discarded to achieve the ends of the tyrants, and violate the rule of law.
The United Nations is essential to right order as it “has mediated conflicts, promoted development and helped States protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.” It is vital in helping the world face “complex challenges such as geopolitical tensions, inequalities and climate crises” and so “the UN should play a key role in fostering dialogue and humanitarian support, helping to build a more just future.” To that end, the UN must be strengthened and “more focused and efficient in pursuing policies aimed at the unity of the human family instead of ideologies.”10
Underlying and essential to all of this is the “defense of the inalienable dignity of every person.” Fundamental human rights must be protected and that includes protecting religious freedom for all religions. The Pope referenced Nostra Aetate from the Vatican II Council in that regard and decried “all forms of anti-Semitism, which unfortunately continues to sow hatred and death.”11
Peace, the rule of law, the person, and the importance of the juridical manifestation of the community of nations as represented by the United Nations along with the need to subordinate the desires of one nation to those of the international community, are all reinforced by Pope Leo XIV’s address to the Diplomatic Corps on January 9. This is the American Order, and it is right order.
Africa in April
In April, Pope Leo traveled to Africa where he again reinforced the principles for right order which are the principles of the American Order. In Algeria, he stressed – contrary to what many MAGA Catholics and neo-trad Catholics espouse – the truly American (and Christian) belief that Christians and Moslems can live together in peace.12 Visiting sacred sites such as the Basilica of St. Augustine in Annaba where lived St Augustine, the founder of the Augustinian Order of which the Pope is a member, and Algeria’s Grand Mosque, Leo said “although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshipping, different ways of living, we can live together in peace. I think that to promote that kind of image is something which the world needs to hear today and that together we can continue to offer in our witness as we continue on this apostolic voyage….”13
Pope Leo addressed a motivator for and central principle of the American Order while in Cameroon – the evil of tyranny as a violation of God’s law. He said: “the world was `being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters’.”14 Tyrants do several things. They destroy the state, plunder it for their own benefit, war against their own people, and are often put in power and assisted by foreign enemies. In sum, tyrants fail to serve the people entrusted to their care and in the process violate the moral law. Americans understood this in 1776, and we acted to install God’s law in our new country with a government that cared for the people. Today, the world is faced with a number of tyrants who use fear, hate, ethnicity and religion to gain power. These include Putin, Xi and the CCP, Trump and MAGA, as well as Peter Thiel and other plutocrats.
Leo went on with what is an indictment of the postliberals, neo-trads, the Russian Orthodox Church, and the tyrants: “blessed are the peacemakers…woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of god for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth”15 All of these groups use religion for evil purposes, and indeed, tyrants rely on religion and ethnicity, fear and hate, to keep and expand their power while beggaring the populace. Viktor Orban, recently voted out of office in Hungary, is an example of this reality about tyrants.
The way forward is the American Way, the American Order. Pope Leo said
“In order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption – which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility – must be broken…hearts must be set free from an idolatrous thirst for profit…[young people and women] commitment to education, mediation and the rebuilding of the social fabric is unparalleled and serves to curb corruption and abuses of power. For this reason, too, their voice must be fully recognized in decision-making processes….[citing to St Augustine] Those who rule serve those whom they seem to command; for they rule not from a love of power, but from a sense of the duty they owe to others…From this perspective, serving one’s country means dedicating oneself with a clear mind and an upright conscience to the common good of all people in the nation…”16
The Associated Press noted that “Vatican has made clear that Catholic social teaching disapproves of the types of authoritarian leaders that Leo is encountering on his four nation African visit…” One commentator said “the visit feels like light entering a dark room.”17
The Pope is again endorsing, supporting, advocating for, legitimating the American World Order which rejects tyranny. This beneficial order started to come into its own after World War II for it brought, and brings, peace and prosperity. The Church, seeing the wisdom and fruits of the American World Order, approved of it as the Church Fathers came to realize the Church’s own patrimony was being fulfilled by America.
All of this is endangered by the tyrants, one of whom is Trump who with his minions is attacking America and the American World Order. Many understand what is at stake and draw a parallel between Pope St John Paul II and the end of the Soviet Empire. Bill Kristol is one with keen insight and he puts it well:
“The first Polish pope helped liberate his country from authoritarian rule. The Trumpists are worried the first American pope could contribute to such a development here. The view Leo is upholding – that right matters, not just might – is an American one….The Trumpists fear Pope Leo not simply because he’s defending the views, and speaking to the communications of his church. They fear him because he’s defending the principles, and speaking to the citizens of his country. Of our country.”18
Conclusion
Pope Leo XIV’s comments in the last few months concern right world order and the importance of maintaining it. That right world order was set up by America using principles that informed both our society and our worldview. The United Nations and multilateralism are essential for achieving and keeping the peace, and both are important parts of the American World Order. The UN is a juridical manifestation of the community of nations and is an important step towards a political authority over all the nations of the world, something long sought by humanity, approved of by Christianity, and articulated by various thinkers throughout the ages.
The course of history will not be changed. The world is tending towards that global political authority which will be based on the four essential pillars of American Order: the primacy of the person, the recognition of the existence of a community of nations, the centrality of the rule of law, and the reality of peace as the goal of human existence. These are the things necessary to bring peace, prosperity, and justice for all peoples as the last eighty years have shown.
But this system is under attack. The multipolarity crowd, with its roots in Dugin’s philosophy designed to advance Russian geopolitical goals, seeks to divide the world into warring blocks giving rule to tyrants, big and small. Peace becomes nothing other than a chance for glory after bloody wars. The moral order is ignored. The person is extinguished. The rule of law gives way to the rule of force. The community of nations ceases to exist. Russia’s multipolarity is the anti-thesis of right order, and a repudiation of God for the chaos of the Devil.
The times are dark. There is a light in the room. That light is the American Pope Leo XIV who is providing a rebirth of right order which is the American Order.
1 Leo XIV, General Audience, 7 January 2026.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Leo XIV, Address of Pope Leo XIV To Members of the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See, 9 January 2026.
6 Ibid
7 Ibid
8 Ibid
9 Ibid
10 Ibid
11 Ibid
12 Elise Ann Allen, “Christians and Muslims Can `Live Together In Peace’ – Pope Leo Says On Plane Leaving Algeria,” Crux, April 15, 2026.
13 Ibid
14 Nicole Winfield and Nalova Akua, “Pope Demands Chain of Corruption Be Broken During Visit to Cameroon,” April 15, 2026, Associated Press; Luke Alsford, “Pope Leo Warns `Tyrants Are Ravaging the World’ in War of Words With Trump,” April 16, 2026, Metro UK.
15 Luke Alsford, “Pope Leo Warns `Tyrants Are Ravaging the World’ in War of Words With Trump,” April 16, 2026, Metro UK.
16 Nicole Winfield and Nalova Akua, “Pope Demands Chain of Corruption Be Broken During Visit to Cameroon,” April 15, 2026, Associated Press.
17 Ibid.
18 Bill Kristol, April 16, 2026, X; Also on that day Kristol tweeted: “The first Polish pope helped liberate his country from authoritarian rule. The Trumpists are worried the first American pope could contribute to such a development here. The view Leo is upholding – that right matters, not just might – is an American one.” And again later that day, “…the Trump administration [is] attacking Pope Leo not simply because he’s the first American pope. He’s a threat to their ambition to change the meaning of America.”