Pope Issues Strong Rebuke of Trump’s Policies
Pope Leo XIV waves as he arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Leo XIV weighed in on American politics Tuesday, raising concerns over President Trump’s rhetoric and urging self-described pro-life advocates to broaden their perspective beyond abortion to include immigration policy and opposition to the death penalty—a stance that drew a response from the White House.
Speaking in Italy after referencing a recent gathering of U.S. military leaders in Virginia—where President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered speeches the pope described as “tension-raising”—Leo suggested the tone seemed aimed at projecting strength but could risk escalating divisions. “Let’s hope it’s just a figure of speech,” he said of Trump’s remark about shifting from “minister of defense to minister of war,” according to the Washington Post.
The pope emphasized that Catholic teaching on life extends beyond abortion alone. “Someone who says, ‘I am against abortion,’ but says, ‘I am in favor of the death penalty,’ is not really pro-life,” he said. He added that supporting harsh treatment of immigrants also contradicts the pro-life ethic. “They’re very complex issues,” Leo explained, urging deeper and more respectful dialogue. Italian journalist Marco Politi described the comments as the pope’s “sharpest criticism” yet of what he called “Trumpist ideology,” though he also noted Leo praised Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, herself Catholic, pushed back against the implication that migrants are treated inhumanely under Trump’s leadership. “This administration is trying to enforce our nation’s laws in the most humane way possible,” she said, per Politico.
Reporters also asked the pope about controversy in Chicago, where Cardinal Blase J. Cupich had planned to honor retiring Sen. Dick Durbin with a lifetime achievement award for his work on immigration despite Durbin’s record of supporting abortion rights. After criticism from within the church, Cupich announced Durbin declined the award. Leo, speaking in English, said he was “not terribly familiar” with the case but stressed the importance of considering a legislator’s decades of public service as a whole. Durbin, who has served over 40 years in Congress—including 28 years in the Senate—is stepping down at the end of his term in January.
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