The Pope vs Trump: Is the Vatican becoming a new super-power ?

William Cash | 31st March 2026 | Comment, Magazine
Pope Leo XIV (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
Pope Leo XIV (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)

With a new American pope, William Cash investigates the global power dynamics behind the throne of St Peter.

That Cardinal Pizzaballa, Patriarch of Jerusalem and head of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land was blocked by Israeli police from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Mass on Palm Sunday (29th March) provoked widespread international condemnation. What's worth noting about the political incident, creating headlines around the world, is that Pope Leo did not wade in personally to make any political press statement. As pontiff, and the first American head of a sovereign state that is increasingly acting like a new Vatican super-power, Leo prefers to operate behind the scenes in the Middle East conflict rather than weaponising the Office of the Holy See as his predecessor did on subjects like US immigration and climate change. The news was relayed through Vatican News, the official news channel of Vatican City suggesting that high level state diplomacy is back on the agenda at the Vatican under Pope Leo. In America, ever since President Trump and his Catholic First L...

Subscribe to The Mace

Join the member community shaping British politics and stay ahead of what's really happening in the world of politics and public affairs, with expert analysis, breaking news, and insider insights from Westminster and Brussels. The Mace is the leading news source and resource for the government affairs industry, offering required reading and lobby intelligence for professionals.

To see what you are missing out on by not subscribing to The Mace, click here to download our full membership info-pack. This includes having no paywall on op-ed content or profiles/interviews, allowing professional profiles to be read with maximum impact and visibility by government, special advisers, MPs, peers, civil servants, and policy and political decision-makers.



The government wants to make it harder for businesses to say no to WFH – what does this mean for young people?

Lucy Carrier-Pilkington | September 17, 2026

The new government protocol raises concerns about whether young people are getting the necessary exposure they need in their early careers 

The existential threat AI poses for the free press

Lucy Carrier-Pilkington | September 16, 2026

What happens when the technology that could one day threaten humanity begins to destroy the institution responsible for warning us about it?

Death of the British staycation

Mace Magazine | September 15, 2026

The government's new 5% tourism tax is the last thing the UK's hospitality sector needs, says William Cash

The exodus of the super-wealthy: Who pays the price?  

Lucy Carrier-Pilkington | September 8, 2026

As speculation mounts over further tax rises, Britain’s ultra-rich investors and job creators are choosing to take their wealth elsewhere.

The Economic Paradox: Can Britain Afford to Penalise Parenthood?

Robert Richardson | September 8, 2026

In an exclusive op-ed for Mace, hospitality industry leader Robert Richardson sets out why the sector must do more to become accessible to young families.

The Politics of Power 

Simon Francis | September 7, 2026

End Fuel Poverty Coalition coordinator Simon Francis examines the four stories politicians hear about electricity and gas, and argues that the fight over which story shapes the agenda

A “little local difficulty” – Gawain Towler’s Reform Conference Diary

Mace Magazine | September 5, 2026

Seasoned Farage aide-de-camp Gawain Towler reflects on Reform's first ever Business Day at the NEC - and what it's like when a media grenade goes off during the

Farmers have suffered enough this summer — it’s time the government got on side

John Cooper | August 27, 2026

Britain’s farmers have battled repeated heatwaves and droughts, but MP John Cooper says the government’s Family Farm Tax is piling further pressure on an industry that desperately needs

It’s not a popularity contest: The case for protecting Meghan and Harry 

Lucy Carrier-Pilkington | August 25, 2026

You don’t have to like the Sussexes to believe the government has a duty to protect them.

Is money a factor behind Prince Harry’s move back to the UK?

Mace | August 21, 2026

Is there a connection between Prince Harry's share of a £34 million legal bill and his sudden move back to the UK? The Mace follows the money.