MAGA is Upset About Pope Leo's Response to Kirk Assasination

Through a spokesperson, Leo said he's praying for Kirk and his family and is concerned about political violence in the United States and elsewhere.

Pope Leo XIV’s words after Charlie Kirk’s assassination were diplomatic: through the United States Ambassador to the Holy See, he offered prayers for the family, sorrow over political violence, and a warning against rhetoric that deepens polarization.

That register satisfied Rome’s playbook — and left parts of MAGA cold.

One of the sharpest critiques came from conservative commentator Damian Thompson, who called the Vatican’s reaction “grossly inadequate,” singling out Cardinal Parolin.

The grievance is straightforward: in a moment, MAGA leaders framed as ideological terrorism, they wanted moral thunder, not measured balm.

Context matters.

From day one of Leo’s pontificate, MAGA figures questioned his instincts, pointing to past social posts and interviews they read as “liberal” on immigration and race.

Charlie Kirk himself set that expectation the day Leo was elected, saying he hoped the new pope would be “strong on borders and for sovereignty,” and later knocking Leo’s past George Floyd–related retweets as propaganda.

He even suggested that the cardinals elected an American pope to offer an “open border leader” to contrast Donald Trump.

Those markers became the lens through which the right judged Leo’s statement after Kirk’s killing: if the pope’s priors skew toward reconciliation and migrants’ dignity, he’ll never sound like them on culture war flashpoints.

The Vatican, for its part, did speak — formally and fast by Holy See standards — confirming Leo was praying for Kirk’s widow and children and decrying political violence. Mainstream wires and Catholic outlets carried that line.

But for MAGA commentators, the content (condolences and a call to lower the temperature) read like equivocation, not clarity.

They wanted explicit attribution of ideological blame and a tougher register about domestic extremism — the kind of language Trump-aligned officials used as they mobilized a broader crackdown on those who mocked or minimized Kirk’s death.

Against that backdrop, Leo’s pastoral tone sounded to critics like a refusal to name the enemy.

Some are especially angry that Leo hasn’t addressed the issue directly, instead relying on American officials and the Vatican spokesperson.

If Pope Leo continues emphasizing reconciliation and de-escalation while MAGA leaders escalate their rhetorical and policy response to Kirk’s murder, expect the gap to widen: Rome will keep playing level-headed priest; MAGA will keep demanding a combatant.

We’re with Pope Leo on this one. A “culture of reconciliation” is indeed the way forward.

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