Pope Leo XIV shouldn't back down in the face of President Trump's attacks, New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks says
President Trump has sparked a religious uproar with his attacks on Pope Leo XIV.
The president's anger over the pope's support of migrants and criticism of the war with Iran prompted Mr. Trump to take to Truth Social on Sunday and attack Leo as "weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy."
Reaction from all over has poured in ever since.
"Not taking the bait," Archbishop Hicks says
New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks said Tuesday the pope shouldn't back down in the wake of unprecedented criticism from the president.
Pope Leo was seen smiling and relaxing Tuesday during his tour of Algeria. Archbishop Hicks spoke about the pontiff on SiriusXM's "The Catholic Channel," emphasizing support for the pope, rather than calling out Mr. Trump.
"He's not taking the bait. He's in a stance of calmness and of being grounded, rooted in faith. [He] will continue to preach the message of God, and his message is let's be a people, a church, a world of peace," Hicks said.
The president is also under fire for posting an AI image showing him dressed in religious robes. He later removed it and claimed it was intended to show him as a doctor.
"People should have a reaction saying there's a line that you crossed and you don't cross that line," Hicks said.
The archbishop said it's a good reminder to debate and dialogue with respect. The president has said there's no need for him to apologize to the pope.
More prominent Catholics speak out
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican and staunch supporter of the president, was asked about the controversy on CBS This Morning.
"As a Catholic, I don't want to see the pope weighing in on domestic U.S. politics or, frankly, national security politics," Stefanik said.
Mr. Trump lives in Florida now, and the new bishop in Palm Beach is former Queens pastor Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, who took to social media to call the president's comments "disrespectful and violent attacks."
On Tuesday, there was some international fallout from the president's jabs at the pope. One of his closest European allies, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, called his comments "unacceptable." Mr. Trump responded by saying he was shocked by her response, and added she "lacked courage."
