It is scheduled that Pope Leo will take the oath of office, becoming the first American to hold the office.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was born in Chicago, was sworn in on May 8 and chose to use the name Pope Leo XIV. Ten days later, he will be sworn in as the 267th pope.
Pope Leo hasn’t avoided politics, much like his predecessor Pope Francis, who died last month at the age of 88.
From the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, he proclaimed to the crowd below him during his first Sunday midday blessing as pope on May 11: “Never again war.”
He praised the ceasefire agreement achieved between India and Pakistan and demanded a fair and sustainable peace in Ukraine as well as an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, together with the release of captives and the provision of humanitarian aid.
But that’s international politics. Both during his first and current terms, the 69-year-old has been outspoken about President Donald Trump’s domestic policies.
Let’s explore them.
Trump policy ‘not Christian’
Cardinal Blase Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago for almost ten years, posted a thread in 2018 criticising the practices of the Trump administration, which Pope Leo retweeted.
“There is nothing remotely Christian, American, or morally defensible about a policy that takes children away from their parents and warehouses them in cages. This is being carried out in our name and the shame is on us all,” the first post of the thread read.
‘Anti-immigrant’
‘Why Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric is so problematic’ was the heading of an article written by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York since 2009, for The Washington Post three years prior, in 2015.
Pope Leo distributed the article among his supporters.
Mass deportations
Most recently, he reposted a tweet from Philadelphia-based Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo, which read: “As Trump & Bukele use Oval to Feds’ illicit deportation of a US resident, once an undoc-ed Salvadorean himself, now-DC Aux +Evelio asks, ‘Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?’”
‘Abandoning American values’
Palmo also posted a screenshot of a Cardinal Cupich article in 2017. “Card Blase calls refugee bans ‘a dark hour of US history,’ saying ‘the world is watching as we abandon our commitment to American values.’” Palmo wrote as the caption for his tweet.
Pope Leo retweeted the post once more.
US becoming ‘immoral’
In the same year, 2017, Jesuit priest James Martin took to Twitter to share a picture of a young Syrian child covered in blood and dirt, with the caption: “We’re banning all Syrian refugees? The men, women and children who *most* need help? What an immoral nation we are becoming. Jesus weeps.”
The post was retweeted by the new pope.
Trump line fuels ‘racism’
Then again in 2017, Pope Leo quote tweeted a post from Palmo, with the pontiff writing: “Saying Trump’s ‘bad hombres’ line fuels ‘racism and nativism,’ Cali bishops send preemptive blast on DACA repeal.”
‘JD Vance is wrong’
Trump’s vice president JD Vance has also come under fire from the recently elected pope, who shared an opinion piece from the National Catholic Reporter that read, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
The article came after comments Vance made to Fox News in February earlier this year, Vance saying: “There is a Christian concept that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world.”
“A lot of the far left has completely inverted that.”
Trump’s comments on Pope Leo
Shortly after Trump used Truth Social to respond to the announcement of the new pope, the remarks have reappeared.
In a post to Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope.”
“What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country.”
“I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
While speaking to Fox News reporter Sean Hannity while onboard Air Force One, he was asked, “We have our first American pope – he does seem to disagree with you on immigration… would you like to talk to him about that?”
Trump answered, “Sure. I would. He was really a surprise choice.”
Now Trending:
- Pope Leo XIV Spotted Wearing Smartwatch During First Mass—Internet Reacts To Tech-savvy Pontiff
- Pope Leo XIV’s Five-Word Message To U.S. Sparks Debate: ‘May God Bless You All’
- Behind The Scenes: Pope Leo XIV’s Tearful Prayer Moments After Becoming First American Pontiff
Please SHARE this story with Family and Friends and let us know what you think!
