Pope Leo gently criticizes Trump
Pope Leo made some subtle jabs at the U.S. President during a press conference shortly after Donald Trump made the astonishing claim that he was involved in the appointment of the pope. During a roundtable conversation on This Week for Pope Leo XIV’s first Sunday benediction, ABC’s Martha Raddatz was broadcasting live from the Vatican on May 11.
Terry Moran, a senior national journalist for ABC News, joined Raddatz, the anchor of the program that was previously helmed by George Stephanopoulos.
“How much did the American moment with President Trump matter?” was the question we were asking. Regarding the historic appointment—the first time an American has ever been selected to lead the Catholic Church—Moran remarked, “They’re telling us not at all.” “[Prevost] was the important factor.”
And we’ve been hearing that since this morning. “It was him,” Raddatz retorted, referring to Robert Prevost, a Cardinal from Chicago who was chosen to be pope. Back at the White House, some people were offended by the implication that Donald Trump had no influence on the cardinal’s choice.
Trump posted an odd post on Truth Social that seemed to be a response to the roundtable debate. In it, he first made fun of Raddatz and ABC before implying that he was instrumental in the appointment of Pope Leo XIV.
Hours after the pope’s first Sunday blessing from St. Peter’s Square, he posted, “It was hilarious to see old-timer Martha Raditz on ABC Fake News (the Slopadopolus show!) this morning, blurt out that, effectively, Pope Leo’s selection had nothing to do with Donald Trump.”
Online users responded to Trump’s Truth Social post on X, expressing shock over his assertions. One user even referred to his statement as “deplorable.”
“How can the President condone this? “Absolute,” a user tweets. Another shares, “Is Trump saying he was involved in the pope’s election? It’s embarrassing. “What a narcissist!” writes a third. Trump is actually attempting to claim credit for the election of Pope Leo XIV. Trump is aware that the Pope is not chosen by American Catholics, isn’t he?
Hours after Trump’s social media post went viral, Pope Leo addressed reporters in Vatican City on May 12 and spoke about peace, transparency, “the precious gift of free speech and of the press,” and the importance of journalism. In his speech to over 1,000 journalists in Italy, Leo stated, “The way we communicate is of fundamental importance:
We must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war,” according to Reuters. “Let’s free communication from aggression and rid it of all forms of prejudice, resentment, fanaticism, and even hatred.” “We need communication that can listen, not communication that is loud and forceful.”
“The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press,” the pope continued, urging the release of journalists who are now in jail.
Pope Leo’s message resonated with people who are familiar with Washington’s current communication strategy, which includes late-night tirades full of personal insults from the president, even though he never specifically named Trump or the US government. Additionally, a lot of internet people are reading the pontiff’s remarks as a flimsy refutation of Trump’s most recent eye-catching assertion.
One user tweets, “The new pope’s speech definitely seems to be a jab at Trump.” As Trump lashes out at “fake news,” another shares, “Pope takes swipe at those who attack journalists.” A third remarks, “Pope Leo strikes a blow for freedom of speech and the press, while Trump rants about ‘fake news’ and attacks journalists every day!” Robert Sherman, a NewsNation correspondent, questioned the pope as he passed through the audience after his speech if he had “any message” to deliver to the United States. Pope Leo said, “Many,” adding a big smile and the words, “God bless you all.”
Even though Trump hasn’t formally addressed the Pope’s comments, his Truth Social post continues to provoke discussion and skepticism. Vatican officials, on the other hand, are happy to let the media handle the rumors and proceed with Pope Leo’s plan for harmony and candid communication.
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