Politics and religion are inextricably linked in the West, and as much as I wish it were otherwise Evangelical Christianity is the engine that drives American conservatism and foreign policy and the opinions of religious leaders like the Pope matter to millions of people.

If the Republicans get to claim to be the party of Christian virtue and anointed by God then the Pope weighing in on American policy seems like fair game, even if the US is far more Protestant than Catholic.

And "looking for peace" is no less a political stance than "crusade against the infidels."