North Texas Catholics criticize Trump's comments on Pope Leo, call for unity and peace

At North Texas churches on Monday, most parishioners had already seen President Donald Trump's Truth Social posts calling Pope Leo XIV "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy."

"I think they're extremely disrespectful to the Christian faith as a whole, his comments about Pope Leo," Johnny Santos said. "Pope Leo is a very good pope, in my opinion. He is just doing his job as pope, wanting more peace and unity within the world."

Recently, Pope Leo has spoken out on the war with Iran, criticizing threats of escalating violence. 

"I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don't want a Pope who thinks it's terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country," Mr. Trump wrote.  

"I think the pope has a right to speak on whatever he wants to speak his opinion on, whether Trump agrees with that or not, and I think maybe it creates an opportunity later on that the two of them might get together on some thoughts on that," James Hickey said. "I think it might lead to positive things."

"It is the responsibility of the papal office as the vicar of Christ to speak in service of Christ, who is the Prince of Peace, and to speak about matters of justice and morality," the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, Michael Olson, said. "That also involves war and 'just wars'."

Olson warns that this post is treating the pope as if he's a political figure.

"I think it was just simply trying to distract us from the spiritual message of the Holy Father about the importance of peace," he said. 

For some, it's hard not to get emotional.

"I think that's not what God wants... and I don't think that if we all get to heaven that's how we're all going to treat each other," Julia Barrientos said. 

Olson says Catholics should pray for peace. 

"I agree with the bishop, you know, because we just have to work for peace and pray," Maria Vazquez said. 

Pope Leo said he has no fear of the Trump administration.

"The things that I say are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone, and the message of the Gospel is very clear: 'Blessed are the peacemakers,'" the pontiff said Monday. "I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do. We are not politicians, we don't deal with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker. "