Dark Mode Light Mode
Group files complaint against Illinois school district for racial discrimination | Illinois
Pope Francis Congratulates Trump On Historic Inauguration Despite Blasting Key Policy As ‘Disgrace’ Hours Earlier
Archaeologists uncover 2,000-year-old Roman service station in Glouceste

Pope Francis Congratulates Trump On Historic Inauguration Despite Blasting Key Policy As ‘Disgrace’ Hours Earlier

REPORT: Pope Francis Appointed Left-Wing, Divisive Cardinal To DC Due To Trump Vatican Ambassador Pick REPORT: Pope Francis Appointed Left-Wing, Divisive Cardinal To DC Due To Trump Vatican Ambassador Pick

Pope Francis congratulated President Donald Trump on the occasion of his second inauguration Monday, offering a positive and hopeful message in contrast to sharp criticism the leader of the Catholic Church previously aimed at him.

The message sent to Trump by the Holy Father, 88, reads:

On the occasion of your inauguration as the forty-seventh President of the United States of America, I offer cordial greetings and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom, strength and protection in the exercise of your high duties. Inspired by your nation’s ideals of being a land of opportunity and welcome for all, it is my hope that under your leadership the American people will prosper and always strive to build a more just society, where there is no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion. At the same time, as our human family faces numerous challenges, not to mention the scourge of war, I also ask God to guide your efforts in promoting peace and reconciliation among peoples. With these sentiments, I invoke upon you, your family, and the beloved American people an abundance of divine blessings.

Upon Trump’s Jan. 20, 2017 inauguration as the 45th president of the United States, His Holiness sent a similar “telegram” of congratulations while underscoring “grave humanitarian crises” and urging “concern for the poor, the outcast and those in need.”

The tone of Monday’s greeting contrasts with how Pope Francis bluntly denounced Trump’s plans to significantly step up enforcement of immigration actions such as deportations Sunday as a “disgrace.”

“It would make the migrants, who have nothing, pay the unpaid bill,” the pope claimed during an interview on Italy’s Channel 9 program, “Che Tempo Che Fa” (“What The Weather Is Like”), Reuters reported. “It doesn’t work. You don’t resolve problems this way.”

When asked Sept. 13, 2024 about the morality of voting for a candidate in favor of abortion in the then-upcoming U.S. presidential election, Pope Francis suggested voters select “the lesser of two evils,” referring indirectly to Trump and Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

Pope Francis also previously expressed concerns with Trump’s rhetoric relating to a promised border wall with Mexico, criticizing him as “not Christian” in February 2016. (RELATED: Pope Francis Questions Trump’s Christianity, Trump Fights Back)

As part of his first international travel as president, Trump met privately with the pope for approximately 30 minutes on May 24, 2017 before promising, “I won’t forget what you said.” Trump later spoke with Pope Francis in the aftermath of an April 15, 2019 fire which devastated France’s Notre Dame Cathedral.

The pope’s message follows an unofficial decadeslong tradition of popes sending congratulatory messages to newly inaugurated presidents, in addition to those of many world leaders and Church officials reacting to the news of Donald Trump’s historic return to the White House. (RELATED: Putin Congratulates Trump’s Presidential Win, Calls Him ‘Manly’)

The secretary of state of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, speaking to reporters Nov. 7, 2024, offered well wishes and hope that Trump would lead with wisdom, according to Catholic News Service.

“Of course we wish [Trump] well,” Parolin stated outside Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University. “At the beginning of his mandate, we wish him much wisdom, because that is the principal virtue of leaders according to the Bible.”

Referencing the divisive circumstances of global politics, Parolin called upon the then-president-elect to “work above all to be president of the whole country and therefore overcome the polarization that has occurred and is very evident.”

“We also hope he can be a factor for détente and pacification in the current conflicts that are bloodying the world,” His Eminence continued. “He said he will end the wars. Let’s hope so. But, of course, he doesn’t have a magic wand either.”

Parolin also expressed confidence in continued U.S.-Vatican diplomatic relations, saying, “We maintained relations with the president during his previous term and will continue to do so. As always, there are elements that bring us closer and elements that differentiate and distance us, and this will be an opportunity to exercise dialogue and to try to find more points of consensus for the benefit of the common good and world peace.”

Opposition to abortion and working to defend human life without letting it “become a policy of polarization and division” were two potential areas of cooperation, Parolin noted, according to the outlet. On the other hand, whereas Trump has promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history” as part of his immigration policy, Parolin stated the Vatican would support a “wise policy toward migrants so that it does not go to these extremes.”

The president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, also offered congratulations to the then-president-elect Nov. 6, 2024, and praised that Americans “rejoice in our ability to transition peacefully from one government to the next.”

Broglio, in his statement, also reiterated the Church’s political neutrality:

The Catholic Church is not aligned with any political party, and neither is the bishops’ conference. No matter who occupies the White House or holds the majority on Capitol Hill, the Church’s teachings remain unchanged, and we bishops look forward to working with the people’s elected representatives to advance the common good of all. As Christians, and as Americans, we have the duty to treat each other with charity, respect, and civility, even if we may disagree on how to carry out matters of public policy. As a Nation blessed with many gifts we must also be concerned for those outside our borders and eager to offer assistance to all.

In a Nov. 7 interview with the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), Broglio suggested Catholic voters were especially motivated by the two leading presidential candidates’ differing views on human dignity and the economy.

“I would think certainly our preeminent concern for the dignity of the human person is one thing that would have influenced those voters,” Broglio told “The World Over” host and Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo.

“I think also people are uncertain of the economy. I think that would be another factor. I think also in a very real sense, Catholics have seen what the first Trump administration did to support human life. I think maybe that would certainly be a factor that influences as well,” Broglio continued.

Broglio also observed how the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee’s campaign offered “no space for any freedom of conscience” relating to questions of abortion.

“Also, in a very real sense, Vice President Harris had made the right to abortion almost the central issue of the campaign,” the archbishop stated. “I think that would be very dissuading to many, many Catholics.”

The U.S. bishops, Broglio continued, would continue to advocate, as a “preeminent concern,” for the “dignity of the human person from the moment of conception until natural death,” as well as the “tremendous concern” for the poor and homeless. U.S. policies on migration and in vitro fertilization would also be key subjects of discussion with the incoming administration.

The archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, whose jurisdiction includes the Nation’s capital, issued a Nov. 5 statement urging Americans to recall that “as people of faith and goodwill, we are called to work together to seek truth, justice, and peace in our homes, in our communities, and in our nation.”

“Our path forward lies in our respect for one another and in the God-given dignity we share, offered freely with prayer, patience, kindness, and hope,” Gregory continued.

Gregory, 77, submitted his age-mandated resignation to Pope Francis when he turned 75. Accepting it, the pope’s appointment of the bishop of the Diocese of San Diego, Cardinal Robert McElroy, as his successor was announced Jan. 6, 2025. He will be installed as the eighth archbishop of Washington on March 11, 2025. Pope Francis reportedly selected the liberal McElroy in response to Trump’s nomination of Brian Burch, president of the CatholicVote advocacy organization, to be U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. The position under Trump’s first term was filled by Callista Gingrich, who has been nominated to serve as U.S. ambassador to Switzerland in Trump’s second term.

The Daily Caller reached out to the Apostolic Nunciature in the United States, as well as former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich for comment but did not receive a response prior to publication.



This article was originally published at dailycaller.com

Keep Up to Date with the Most Important News

Add a comment Add a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Post
Analyst: Illinois students poor SAT showing a bad sign | Illinois

Group files complaint against Illinois school district for racial discrimination | Illinois

Next Post

Archaeologists uncover 2,000-year-old Roman service station in Glouceste