The Pope vs The President
4/15/202635 min
Pope Leo has once again criticized the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, saying “I don’t think the message of the gospel is meant to be abused in the way some people are doing, and I will continue to speak out loudly against war.”
This is not the first time the pontiff has criticized Trump's behaviour and policies.
Trump responded with a Truth Social post calling the Pope “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy”. Trump later posted and deleted an image depicting himself as a Christ-like figure. Reporting also suggests Trump officials issued a veiled threat involving military force against the Vatican.
Today, we look at the President and the Pope’s competing visions of the world. Our guest is Christopher Hale, a democratic political operative and author of the Substack ‘Letters from Leo’ which focuses on the intersection of Catholicism and U.S. politics.
For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
If you're listening to this, I already know you have great taste in podcasts. But maybe, if you're like me, you still wonder if you're missing out on the best stuff. That's where the Sounds Good newsletter can help you out. Every other Thursday, the audio files at CBC Podcasts highlight one must-hear show and lots of other new and noteworthy titles. They do conversation starters, they do hidden gems, and they also tell you about the stuff they love that they didn't make. Go to cbc.ca/soundsgood to subscribe.
Pope Leo· Soundbite0:29
[news jingle] This is a CBC podcast.
Jamie Poisson· Host0:33
[news music] Hi, everyone. I'm Jamie Poisson.
Pope Leo· Soundbite0:38
[news music] I do not look at my role as being political, politician. I don't want to get into a debate with him. I don't think that the message of the gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing. And, and I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace.
Jamie Poisson· Host1:03
That was Pope Leo articulating his position on the US and Israel's war in Iran in front of a gallery of reporters. This is not the first time the pontiff has criticized elements of Trump's behavior and policies, previously referring to his immigration program as inhuman, and Trump's comments about the annihilation of Iranian civilization as truly unacceptable. During his Palm Sunday address over the