Trump v. Leo: the latest
On the Sunday devoted to celebrating Divine Mercy and reconciliation, the president of the United States attacked the Pope.
First, there was this, via The Washington Post:
President Donald Trump on Sunday issued sharp criticism of Pope Leo XIV, calling the bishop of Rome “WEAK on crime,” and “terrible for Foreign Policy” while claiming that the first U.S.-born pontiff would not have been selected if it hadn’t been for Trump.
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela,” Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly before returning to Washington from Miami on Sunday night. “And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do,” Trump continued.
He wrote that Leo “should be thankful,” calling his election by the College of Cardinals last year a shock.
“He wasn’t on any list to be Pope and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump,” Trump wrote. “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
Asked about the post after landing at Joint Base Andrews, Trump called Leo “a very liberal person.”
“I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime, I guess,” Trump said. “I am not a fan of Pope Leo.”
The full text from President Trump:
Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. He talks about “fear” of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart. I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t! I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country. And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History. Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise. He wasn’t on any list to be Pope and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican. Unfortunately, Leo’s Weak on Crime, Weak on nuclear weapons, does not sit well with me, nor does the fact that he meets with Obama Sympathizers like David Axelrod, a LOSER from the Left, who is one of those who wanted churchgoers and clerics to be arrested. Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church! President DONALD J. TRUMP
The first reaction came from Archbishop Paul Coakley, head of the USCCB:
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a brief response to a social media post by President Trump on Sunday evening.
“I am disheartened that the President chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father. Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls.”
Last night, President Trump also posted this image on Truth Social:
Monday morning, Pope Leo himself spoke with journalists on the plane enroute to Algeria. From The New York Times:
Pope Leo XIV said on Monday that he was not afraid of the Trump administration, hours after President Trump lashed out at the pontiff on social media.
Leo, speaking to reporters on a flight to Algeria ahead of a 10-day tour of several African nations, said: “I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do.” Asked directly about Mr. Trump’s comments on Truth Social, Leo said: “It’s ironic — the name of the site itself. Say no more.”
Leo’s comments came after Mr. Trump’s lengthy attack on the pope on Sunday night, in which the president accused the pontiff of being “weak on crime” and “catering to the Radical Left.” Mr. Trump also said Leo, the first American pope, should “focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.”
Tensions between the two leaders have risen in recent weeks. The pope has criticized President Trump’s attacks on Iran and appeared to distance himself from efforts by Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense, to portray the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran as a Christian mission.
On Monday, Leo said he would continue to publicly oppose war, while downplaying the idea that he was engaged in a direct dispute with Mr. Trump.
“The things I say are not meant as attacks on anyone,” Leo told reporters.
He added: “I do not look at my role as being political, a politician. I don’t want to get into a debate with him. I don’t think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.”
The pope answered questions during a two-hour flight from Rome to Algiers on Monday, speaking with journalists accompanying him on his tour through Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
He added: “I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems. Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”
You can watch the pope’s statement below.
UPDATE: Bishop Robert Barron weighed in early Monday morning, posting this on X:
No comments:
Post a Comment