Pope Leo to World Leaders: Stop Lying and Obey Your Oath
Trump averages 21 lies a day. Vance brags about inventing stories. Pope Leo calls it what it is: a betrayal of public trust.

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Paid subscriptions start at only $6.67 per month and will get you full access to this multi-part series on the life and formation of Pope Leo. The second part of the series was released earlier over the weekend.
In his July 15 Mass at the Carabinieri headquarters, Pope Leo delivered pointed advice: elected officials must honor their oath, speak the truth, and never lose faith that evil will not triumph in the end.
This call for integrity is striking amid rampant political deceit.
Nowhere is that contrast sharper than in the United States, where the president — the pope’s fellow countryman — lies, on average, 21 times a day.
Then there’s Vice President J.D. Vance, who last year admitted to inventing a false story about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio — claiming they were eating family pets — not because it was true, but because, in his words, “it got the media to pay attention.”
He doubled down in a national interview, saying:
“If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention… then that’s what I’m going to do.”
Honesty in Public Service
This is the moral terrain Pope Leo is speaking into: a political culture where lies aren’t just tolerated — they’re leveraged. Where elected officials don’t stumble into falsehoods; they deploy them deliberately.
And where truth-telling, far from being expected, is treated as a liability.
Pope Leo stressed that officials must enforce justice “with the force of law and honesty” — in other words, no lying or deception. Dishonesty by leaders corrodes the social order and betrays their oath.
In Leo’s view, such mendacity is a betrayal of both the law and the Gospel.
Fidelity to God’s Call
Leo invoked Mary’s example of fidelity. He called Mary “the first disciple” for welcoming God’s word with “love and faithfulness.”
The implication is that each person — including public leaders — has a God-given vocation and must follow it with loyalty.
He even tied this back to his theme: we are “brothers and sisters of Jesus” when we live by loving obedience.
For Christians, especially those in power, that means a path of service and love, not self-interest.
In short, Leo’s homily implies that true leadership follows the humble, faithful path of God’s will, not the path of manipulation — it casts to shame any leader who would exploit sacred faith for political gain.
Unyielding Hope Amid Evil
Finally, Leo exhorted the faithful to refuse despair.
He said:
“In the face of injustices, do not yield to the temptation to think that evil can prevail.”
This rebuke to defeatism counters the cynicism often peddled by demagogues.
Even as some leaders stoke fear and conspiracy, Leo insists that ultimate victory belongs to goodness, and that truth and virtue will endure even when darkness seems to grip the world.
For American Catholics watching Trump and Vance alike, his message is a call to accountability: abandon lies and cynicism, and trust that honest, faithful leadership will always prevail.
Thank you so much for reading this article. We are 100% sustained by your generosity. If you find value in my work, please consider supporting me by becoming a paid subscriber today.
Paid subscriptions start at only $6.67 per month and will get you full access to this multi-part series on the life and formation of Pope Leo. The second part of the series was released earlier over the weekend.
What a gut-punch of a sermon. Pope Leo didn’t mince words, and thank God for that. In an age where leaders lie like it’s a strategy—not a shame—his call to fidelity over manipulation hits hard. Especially when Vance literally brags about fabricating stories.
This isn’t just about politics—it’s about spiritual rot cloaked in patriotism. If you’re invoking God while knowingly spreading lies, you’re not a disciple. You’re a fraud with a flag.
May more leaders feel the weight of the oaths they swore—and the Gospel they claim to follow.
Every time I read Pope Leo’s messages, I like him even more