The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has condemned President Donald Trump after he launched an extraordinary attack on Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night.
“I am disheartened that the President chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father,” Archbishop Paul S. Coakley said in a statement.
“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.”
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump sharply criticized Leo, the first American pope, calling him “weak on crime” and saying he 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.”
Trump’s post came after Leo denounced a “delusion of omnipotence” that he says is fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran and demanded political leaders stop fighting and negotiate peace. While Leo did not name Trump or the United States, his message appeared directed at Trump and U.S. officials, who have boasted of U.S. military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.
This is a developing story. More to follow.
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