RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Tensions between the White House and the Catholic Church are taking center stage after a public divide between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV. The conflict, which began months ago over immigration policy, has now escalated in the days following Holy Week, with both leaders trading criticism over recent comments tied to international war. "It's unprecedented ... Having been a papal observer for close to three decades, I've never seen this level of personal animosity between a pope and a head of state," said professor Andrew Chesnut, chair of Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). In early April, Pope Leo called for an end to the war in Iran and denounced President Trump’s war rhetoric. In response, Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday, calling the pope “a loser from the left” and criticizing him as weak on crime and nuclear weapons. Chesnut said the moment stands out in part because of social media and because Pope Leo is the first American pontiff -- something Chesnut said could have helped him be selected as pope. "There really was a palpable fear among a lot of cardinals and the rest of the world, that world peace was very much at stake," he said. "And who better to counter that than one of President Trump's own fellow Americans own compatriots?" Pope Leo has said he has no fear of the Trump administration and will continue preaching peace, while Trump has doubled down on his comments. "There's nothing to apologize for, he's wrong," Trump said. The divide comes as voting patterns among American Catholics remain politically split. Chesnut said that, during the 2024 presidential election, most white Catholics supported Trump, while the majority of Latino Catholics backed former vice president Kamala Harris. Chesnut said the public dispute could have political consequences. "A lot of American Catholics, even many Republicans, are feeling like their faith is under assault and not being respected," he said. "For Trump, it's just disastrous, particularly with midterms coming up in November. I think he's just playing out as his own worst enemy." 8News reached out to the Catholic Diocese of Richmond to see if the national political tension is affecting the local congregation. We have not gotten a response as of the time of reporting. ...read more read less