PENSACOLA, Fla. — Head of the Pensacola-Tallahassee Diocese Bishop William Wack commented on President Donald Trump attacking Pope Leo XIV in a social media post.
The U.S.-Israel war in Iran has Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump at odds. Trump posted his personal gripes with the first U.S.-born pope to Truth Social on Sunday.
In comments to The Associated Press, Leo responded as follows:
To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here is to misunderstand the Gospel,” he said. “I’m sorry to hear that, but I will continue what I believe is the mission of the church in the world today.
Bishop Wack chimed in on the matter on Monday. He shared the following statement:
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I share the same sentiments as Archbishop Coakley, president of our national Catholic bishops’ conference when he said, ‘I am disheartened that the President chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father. Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls.’ I would also personally add that this is another example of the Christian calling St. Paul described in his second letter to St. Timothy. We must ‘preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching.’