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Pope Leo and Islam

Pope Leo and Islam

Last updated on: July 17, 2026 at 11:50 am by Layne Wallace

Pope Leo and Islam 2026-07-17T11:50:13-04:00 Layne Wallace

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Pope Leo and Islam

Pope Leo XIV made news for during his recent trip through Africa. Both the trip and his actions on the trip have brought into focus his views toward Islam. On his trip to Africa, the Pope’s itinerary included Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea.[1] In Algiers, the Pope visited a Mosque and said,

I thank you for these reflections and for these important words during this visit, from a place that represents the space that belongs to God, a divine and sacred space …[2]

Believing that Christians and Muslims can live in peace, the Pope encouraged conversation and mutual respect.

None of this is new for Pope Leo. Back in December of 2025, he said regarding Islam, “ … We should, perhaps, be a little less fearful … ”[3] of Islam. His words and actions demonstrate a dangerous naivety about the world in general and Islam in specific. Islam is a dangerous, murderous, and destructive force. It always has been.

Missing the Historical Picture

Algiers was Christian until the 6th century like most of the Muslim world, when Arab invasions subdued the nation and imposed Islam. Christians have been a persecuted minority ever since. Throughout history, whenever Islamic armies were victorious, they have killed, tortured, raped, and subjugated Christians. Were this pattern only relegated to the past, it could be left alone. The pattern continues.

Missing the Present

Notably absent from the Pope’s itinerary was Nigeria. The ground of Nigeria is soaked in the blood of Christians murdered by Muslims. The Vatican itself reports that Islamists have murdered 50,000-125,000 Christians in the last 14 years.[4]

… but we should be less fearful of Islam…

In the Sahel region of Africa, Islamists have murdered 49,000+ Christians over the last decade.

… but we should be less fearful of Islam…

In Somalia, Islamists have murdered 49,000+ Christians over the last decade as well.

… but we should be less fearful of Islam…

In Afghanistan, women and girls are banned from schools.

… but we should be less fearful of Islam…

In Iran, women are subjected to acid or disfigurement attacks if they do not wear the hijab.

… but we should be less fearful of Islam..

On October 23, 1983, Muslims drove trucks laden with bombs to a US barracks in Beirut, killing 307 people.

… but we should be less fearful of Islam…

On Feb 15th 2025, Libyan Jihadists beheaded 21 Coptic Christians.

… but we should be less fearful of Islam..

In 2016, Jihadists burned alive 19 women they had forced into sex slavery. Some women who escaped the Jihadists described Islamists raping 6-year-old girls.

… but we should be less fearful of Islam…

In England, grooming gangs, 90% of whose members were Muslims, preyed on thousands poverty-stricken British girls. The gangs raped, tortured, and trafficked upwards of 250,000 women and girls.

… but we should be less fearful of Islam…

On October 7, 2023, fighters from Hamas breached the border to Israel, killing 1200 people, raping women, some even after they had died. Hamas recorded its barbarity for the world to see. Having no shame or conscience, they even strangled a toddler and shot up nurseries.

… but we should be less fearful of Islam…

On September 11, 2001, Muslim terrorists hijacked 4 planes. They crashed two of them into the World Trade Center, one of them into the Pentagon, and the last plane, the passengers were able to crash in a field in Pennsylvania. The death toll was 2,977.

… but we should be less fearful of Islam…

On July 7, 2005, Muslim suicide bombers attacked the Tube in London. The 4 suicide bombers killed 52 people and injured hundreds of others.

… but we should be less fearful of Islam…

On November 26, 2008, Muslims executed a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai, killing over 166 people.

…but we should be less fearful of Islam…

On Oct 12, 2002, Muslim terrorists killed 202 in a nightclub bombing in Bali.

… but we should be less fearful of Islam…

On March 29, 2010 Muslim terrorists attacked the Moscow Metro killing 40.

…but we should be less fearful of Islam…

On November 13, 2014, Muslim terrorists killed 130 in coordinated attacks in Paris.

… but we should be less fearful of Islam…

Naïvete

Naïveté is the pleasant repose of a man who has the Swiss Guard at his disposal. It is not, however, a serious way of looking at the world. The Pope’s language and actions here are irresponsible.

The late Pope Francis could also demonstrate a naïve streak. For example, in his discussion of guns, he called for their elimination. Francis’ naïveté, however, was more performative. Had he been serious about guns, he would have disarmed the Swiss Guard, who still carry 9mm side arms and often employ the SIG SG 550 assault rifles. No, it was just rhetoric. The rhetoric about nations and walls that Francis would often employ was similarly performative. He did not believe his comments about walls, or he would have torn his own walls down.

Understanding Islam

Leo, however, seems to really mean what he is saying about Islam. To mean that, however, he has to deny history and reality. From its inception, Islam has been a violent religion. Muhammed himself beheaded between 600 and 900 men, and Islam’s connection to violence cannot be shaken. The practice of violence in Islam continues to this day. The Pope calling for “communion” between Christians and Muslims is then a farce.

While Pope Leo is dangerously naive about Islam, Cardinal Sarah seems to understand the situation. After the Oct 29, 2020, terrorist attack at the Basilica of Notre-Dame in Nice, France, Sarah tweeted,

Islamism is a monstrous fanaticism that must be fought with force and determination. It will not stop its war. We Africans know this all too well, alas. The barbarians are always the enemy of peace. The West, today, France, must understand this…[5]

While Sarah and Leo would probably want to make the same distinction between Islam and Islamism, that distinction is not tenable. I have a saying: While there may be moderate Muslims, there is no moderate Islam.

The Nature of Islam

The problem is not that there are some bad Muslim actors hijacking an erstwhile civil religion. No. The outliers are the Moderates. Those practicing the religion of Muhammad most directly are the Islamists.

By giving legitimacy to a Mosque by visiting it, praying in it, and highlighting its role as a sacred space, Leo has fundamentally forgotten why the land of his spiritual father, Augustine, is no longer Christian. He has also ignored the plight of thousands of Christian martyrs. This is a grave mistake.

But perhaps we should be less fearful of Islam.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/world/europe/what-to-know-pope-africa.html

[2] https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-04/pope-leo-apostolic-journey-algeria-grand-mosque-algiers-dialogue.html

[3] https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/speeches/2025/december/documents/20251202-libano-volo-ritorno.html#:~:text=It%20is%20something%20we%20have,and%20better%20for%20the%20people.

[4] https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-04/pope-leo-apostolic-journey-algeria-grand-mosque-algiers-dialogue.html

[5] https://x.com/Card_R_Sarah/status/1321764990873985024

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