#USA #Illinois – On Wednesday, April 15th, 2026, police in New Lennox, Illinois, responded to a bomb threat at the home of John Prevost, one of Pope Leo XIV’s older brothers.
The threat was reported around 6:29–6:30 p.m. local time via a call (some reports mention it was an emailed threat with a statement). New Lennox police, along with the Will County Sheriff’s Office and specialized units including explosive detection K9 teams, conducted a thorough search of the residence and surrounding property. No explosive devices or hazardous materials were found; the threat was determined to be unsubstantiated. Neighbors were evacuated out of an abundance of caution, but residents were later allowed to return with no injuries or damage reported. Police described it as an active and ongoing investigation as of April 16. The mayor noted limited details could be shared to avoid hindering the probe.
The event occurred amid reported tensions between Pope Leo XIV and the Trump administration, particularly over the pope’s comments on the war with Iran. Some coverage links it to broader public discourse or a “feud,” though there is no confirmed connection between the threat and those issues, and authorities have not publicly attributed motive. Although Trump’s recent comments against Pope Leo denote Trump’s favoritism towards a specific brother, that brother was Louis Prevost, known to be openly pro-Trump and an advocate of Make America Great Again (MAGA), and not John Prevost.
On Thursday, April 16th, 2026, Trump spoke again against the Supreme Pontiff and leader of the Catholic Church, this time making false claims that he opposed Pope Leo XIV because he said that Iran could have nuclear weapons, which he did not agree with. He further again made unverified claims of 42,000 protestors being killed in Iran. This false claim is based on a report that Iran had arrested 42,000 protestors, not killed.
Nonetheless, in the continued dispute between Pope Leo XIV and President Trump, which both the Vatican State and Pope Leo have chosen not to get involved in, U.S. Speaker of House Mike Johnson spoke on Wednesday, April 16th, 2026, that Pope Leo, an Augustinian religious priest, did not understand “Just War” theory. He stated that the United States was actually fighting a just war due to, again, claims of thousands of protestors killed in Iran and ambitions to prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapon (ironically both the U.S. and Israel being nuclear powers). Just War theory was developed by St. Augustine of Hippo, the patron saint of the order that Pope Leo belongs to. Other U.S. politicians spoke in favor of Trump, including Representative Troy Nehls (R-TX) who stated that the American people did not elect a Catholic pope to be president, to stay out of the “political arena” and that he should stick to leading his flock. White House Border Czar Tom Homan also spoke stating that Pope Leo should stick to fixing the Church issues and stay out of politics because clergy do not belong these nuanced issues of immigration, human trafficking, and border security.
In the midst of the entire conflict, the Trump administration came under further scrutiny from observers and critics as news came to public light that the administration had cancelled a $11 million dollar contract with the Archdiocese of Miami in late March 2026 for the Monsignor Bryan Walsh Children’s Village, an 81-bed facility that providers foster care, family reunification, and trauma services for unaccompanied migrant children. The contract cancellation was revealed on April 15th, 2026, and will result in the closure of the facility in three months due to lack of sufficient funds. Reports suggest that the decision to terminate the contract was made in late February, before the conflict with the Pope. However, tensions between the Catholic Church and Trump Administration have been ongoing throughout 2026, since Church clergy and faithful marked their opposition to the mass deportation schemes of the Trump Administration, but also since Pope Leo criticized the U.S. government’s approach to foreign diplomacy in his state-of-the-world speech on January 19th, 2026. That speech resulted in the Holy See ambassador being summoned to the Pentagon on January 22nd, 2026, resulting in a disputed lecture with conflicting stories from numerous sides on what occurred in that meeting that led to Pope Leo XIV forgoing his invitation to the United States for the nation’s 250th anniversary on July 4th, 2026.
From January 2026 to present, there has been increasing tension and now pronounced conflict between the Trump administration and Catholic Church. The Iran War and Catholic opposition to the war has caused further divide, tensions between Evangelical and Catholic Christians, and led to Trump publicly insulting Pope Leo XIV on social media and the resulting aftermath. The tensions were hinted at on Good Friday when the Pentagon failed to provide a service option for Catholic Christians and only hosted a service for Protestants, but have since been confirmed in public comments made against the Pope and Catholic faithful. Pope Leo XIV has remained committed to his message of peace when speaking to his flock, especially as he continues to tour Africa, a continent with the most conflicts in the world, and continues to spread the Gospel message of peace and love for neighbor.
Image: U.S. President Trump seen when he made absurd claims to the press on April 16th, 2026, regarding 42,000 protestors being killed and Pope Leo XIV advocating for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
