The Archdiocese of Denver spoke out against President Donald Trump on Monday, after the for his vehement criticism of Pope Leo XIV.
“I join my brother bishops in stating clearly that the recent remarks directed at Pope Leo by President Trump are not acceptable,” . “Such language fails to reflect the respect owed to the Successor of Peter and does not serve the common good.”
Pope Leo on Feb. 7.
The back-and-forth between the pope and the president has escalated in recent weeks, and Trump lashed out at the pontiff on social media on Sunday night. That response was at St. Peter’s Basilica, during which Leo said that a was fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran. The comments came the same day that the United States and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan during a fragile ceasefire.
Leo didn’t mention the United States or President Donald Trump in his prayer, which was planned before the peace talks were announced. But Leo’s tone and , who have boasted of U.S. military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.
“Enough of the idolatry of self and money!” Leo said. “Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!”
The pope had earlier named Trump directly and expressed optimism that the president would seek “an off-ramp” in Iran. An even stronger condemnation came after Trump warned of mass strikes against Iranian power plants and infrastructure, writing on social media that “an entire civilization will die tonight.” Leo described that as a “threat against the entire people of Iran” and said it was
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the president wrote in a , adding, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks itap OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
“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’s post continued. He also claimed that Leo was “catering to the Radical Left” and only elected pontiff “because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”
Trump on Monday after criticizing the pontiff for his opposition to the war in Iran, which has now entered its seventh week.
“Pope Leo’s role is pastoral, not political,” Denver Archbishop Golka stated. “Even in moments of disagreement, we are called to speak with charity and to seek dialogue that builds up, rather than tears down.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which summarizes the church’s doctrine, faith and morals, “reminds us that our words must be governed by truth and charity, avoiding rash judgment and harmful speech,” Golka said. It also calls for people to uphold others’ dignity and live with civility and respect, he said.
Leo, history’s first U.S.-born pope, has , advocating for a “Kingdom in which there is no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialization of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness.”
“Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace!” . “Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!”
“God does not bless any conflict,” . “Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.”
Leo stressed to the Associated Press that he was not making a direct attack against Trump or anyone else with his general appeal for peace and criticisms of the Iran war and other conflicts around the world.
“To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is,” Leo told The Associated Press aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria. “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for,” said Leo, who said he had a different perspective on foreign policy than elected officials. “I will continue to speak out strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
