Bishop Barron breaks silence on Trump’s attack on Pope Leo XIV.
Minnesota Bishop Robert Barron, a member of the Trump Commission on Religious Liberty who has faced criticism for his contacts with the Trump administration in the past, has broken his silence on President Donald Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV, saying the comments were inappropriate and disrespectful. Trump blasted the first American pope in a lengthy post on The Truth Society on Monday, accusing him of being “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy.” He added that he “does not want a pope who criticizes the president of the United States.” “As Pope, Leo should take action, use common sense, stop pandering to the radical left, and focus on being a great pope, not a politician,” Trump said.After his tirade, Trump posted an illustration in which he looked like Jesus healing a sick person. Pope Leo reacts to Truth Society outburst and says he is not afraid of Trump administration. “I have no intention of arguing with him,” Leo said.The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed dismay at Trump’s attack. “I am dismayed that the president chose to write such disparaging remarks about the Pope,” Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, the group’s president, said in a statement on social media. “Pope Leo is not his opponent; nor is the pope a politician. He is a priest of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and the care of souls.”“Bishop Barron is considered MAGA-friendly. Most recently, he was criticized for not objecting to comments made by televangelist Paula White-Kaine during a White House Easter lunch comparing Trump to Jesus Christ. Paula told the president that like Christ, he too had been “betrayed, arrested and wrongly accused” and “because of his resurrection you stand up.” Trump stood behind her, smiling and thanking her. Bishop Barron attended the event, but his silence was questioned. “It is the Pope’s prerogative to articulate Catholic teaching and the principles that guide moral life. People of good faith can and do disagree on the specific application of those principles. I strongly suggest that serious Catholics in the Trump administration — Secretary Rubio, Vice President Vance, Ambassador Brian Birch and others — might meet with Vatican officials in order to have a real dialogue. This is much better than a statement on social media,” Bishop Barron wrote on Monday. Bishop Barron said, “I am deeply grateful for the many ways the Trump administration has reached out to Catholics and people of other faiths. It has been an honor to serve on the Religious Liberty Commission. No president in my lifetime has shown greater dedication to defending our first freedoms. Nonetheless, I believe the president owes the Pope an apology.”
