Archbishop of Philadelphia Nelson Pérez said Pope Leo XIV is a “gift for Catholics” on Monday after President Trump attacked the Villanova grad.
—
Archbishop of Philadelphia Nelson Pérez said Pope Leo XIV is a “gift for Catholics” on Monday after President Donald Trump criticized the global leader of the Catholic Church, who is also the first American to hold the position.
Pérez’s statement is below:
“In a world afflicted with division, conflict, and suffering, Pope Leo XIV has consistently spoken with clarity and compassion with calls for peaceful resolutions to complex challenges in a manner that upholds the sanctity and dignity of all human life. Both the Holy Father and his message deserve respect and admiration.
As a pastoral and world leader, Pope Leo XIV is a gift for Catholics and all people of good will. His message powerfully reflects the truth of the Gospel.
His continued calls for peace, hope, diplomacy, and the conversion of hearts should be heeded by all. The Church of Philadelphia stands by the Holy Father as he continues to call and pray for world peace as he has done since the beginning of his pontificate.”
Pérez’s comments come after Trump criticized the Villanova grad in a post on Truth Social on Sunday.
The president said that Pope Leo XIV was “WEAK on crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Trump also said that Pope Leo XIV “should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise. He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
The pontiff responded to Trump as well, saying that he does not regret his comments criticizing the war in the Middle East.
“I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do.”
He added: “We are not politicians, we don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the gospel, as a peacemaker.”
