Cardinal Robert McElroy labeled President Donald Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV “very distressing” in a new interview.
The president unleashed a lengthy tirade aimed at the pope on Sunday night, devoting 334 words to criticizing the Chicago-born pontiff and slamming him for “catering to the radical left” while also taking credit for his success.
“Leo should be thankful,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, arguing that “he wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”
The post came a day after Leo once again called for an end to the war in Iran, and moments after a 60 Minutes episode featuring three American cardinals critical of Trump had finished airing.
McElroy, one of the cardinals featured in the episode, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday night that the president’s attack on the pope was particularly distressing because “we‘re in an age of polarization where there‘s been a general degradation in our public dialogue and discourse.”
“On an issue this important, that of the war, it‘s important that the substance of the issues involved be discussed with respect and politeness and care,” he added.
McElroy told Cooper that Leo was proclaiming the gospel and Catholic teaching when calling for the war in Iran to come to an end and for peace to prevail.
The Archbishop of Washington D.C. argued that the president “fundamentally misunderstands” the pope’s role, which is not that of a politician, but someone who speaks to “the moral dimension of public policy issues, particularly the war at this time.”
Trump’s attack on the pope criticized Leo for being “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy,” seemingly framing him as a political opponent and not a religious leader.
Asked by Cooper for his thoughts on the bizarre AI-generated image the president posted depicting himself as Jesus Christ healing the sick, McElroy did not appear convinced by Trump’s explanation. The president posted the image shortly after his Sunday night rant aimed at Pope Leo.
“I haven‘t talked to a single person who interprets that the same way the president does,” McElroy said, referring to the president’s claim that he thought the image showed him as a doctor.
Despite Trump defending himself for posting the image, the post was later removed following severe backlash, including from several of the president’s own supporters.
“It‘s particularly disturbing because for us, the person of Jesus Christ is sacred,” McElroy said of the image, which many Christians called blasphemous.
“For the president to take on this aura and identity, in this piece is really crossing a line, which for most Christians is going to be very alienating,” McElroy added.
McElroy voiced his concerns about the possibility of seeing “war after war after war” in his interview with 60 Minutes’ Norah O’Donnell, as well as concerns with the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies.
“People who have been living good, strong lives, been here a long time, raised their children here, many of their children born here, and are citizens. That’s what our objection is‚” he told O’Donnell on Sunday.
Speaking to Cooper on Monday, he reiterated those same concerns, telling the anchor about the suffering he is witnessing in his community in D.C.
“Our parishes are suffering deeply,” McElroy said, mentioning one parish that had lost 30 parishoners as a result of deportation.
“The church has spoken up on this question again, saying, security at the border is an important, legitimate goal of the government, and the deportation of those convicted of serious crime is a legitimate objective for government,” he continued.
“But this indiscriminate siege and assault upon the undocumented immigrants of our country really is cruel and inhumane and against the best interests of our country, long-term and short-term.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment on McElroy’s comments.
