How a War of Words With Donald Trump Has Been the Making of Pope Leo XIV
Summary
Pope Leo XIV, elected in 2025, faced declining church attendance and financial troubles in the American Catholic Church. A public conflict arose when President Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV on social media, leading to widespread support for the pope from American bishops and international leaders.Key Facts
- Pope Leo XIV became pope in May 2025 and was expected to lead a quiet, restorative papacy.
- American Catholic Church attendance dropped from 55% in 1970 to 29% recently.
- The number of Catholic priests in the U.S. fell from 59,000 to about 33,000 over 50 years.
- Catholic dioceses paid over $5 billion in sexual abuse settlements in the past 20 years.
- President Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV on Truth Social, calling him “weak on crime” and bad for foreign policy.
- Trump also posted and later deleted an AI-generated image of himself as a Christ-like figure.
- American Catholic bishops publicly condemned Trump’s remarks and said he owed the pope an apology.
- International figures, including Iran's president and Italy’s prime minister, also criticized Trump’s actions.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.