Pope Leo XIV, who rose to the papacy last year after the death of Pope Francis, has received harsh criticism from President Donald Trump for speaking out against the Iran war.
After Leo called for peace and warned that "God does not bless any conflict," Trump responded that the pope was "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy."
Catholic leaders in the Kansas City area and beyond have voiced concern over Trump’s aggressive rhetoric, according to Brian Roewe, a reporter for the Kansas City-based National Catholic Reporter.
“The Holy Father is fulfilling his moral duty as a pastor and not a politician, to promote peace in the world. The retaliatory tone of the president's response risks deepening divisions when we need unity,” Roewe told KCUR’s Up to Date. “Even in heated disagreement, leadership should be civil, honoring the inherent dignity of the other, made in the image and likeness of God.”
Roewe said many Catholics and Christians consider Trump’s AI-generated image of himself healing a sick person to be blasphemous, portraying the president as Jesus Christ. Trump, however, said it depicted him as a doctor.
- Brian Roewe, reporter for the National Catholic Reporter
