President Donald Trump’s ongoing feud with Pope Leo XIV – along with his sharing of an image on social media depicting him as a Jesus Christ-like figure – has soured Catholics nationwide, many of whom say that Trump’s quarrel with the head of the Catholic Church was beyond defensible.
“The reactions were definitely like, you know, who would do something like that?” said Max D’Amore, a student at Villanova University, a private Catholic research institution in Pennsylvania, speaking with The New York Times for its report Monday.
D’Amore also told the Times that the feud between Trump and Pope Leo was a topic of discussion in class, during which “classmates appeared uniformly opposed to Mr. Trump’s statements,” and that they were “particularly turned off by the president’s posting the image likening himself to Jesus,” the Times reported.
Trump’s recent feud with the head of the Catholic Church was prompted by Pope Leo’s criticism of wars – comments made amid the U.S. war against Iran. Trump called Pope Leo “weak on crime,” and accused him of “catering to the radical left.”
One day after his attack on Pope Leo, Trump shared an image on social media that appeared to depict him as Christ, wearing a white robe and red sash while healing a sick man with his hands, which were bathed in light. Trump was asked about the image later that same day, and admitted to being the one to share it on social media, but disputed that it was a depiction of him as Christ.
“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor,” Trump told members of the press when asked about the image.
In Chicago, Illinois, Catholics were also confused by Trump’s feud with Pope Leo.
“I think [Trump] does make some Catholics scratch their heads, but overall his policies are supportive and align with church teachings,” said Sam Turner, a physician from Virginia who was attending Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. Mary Onwunah, also speaking with the Times from Chicago, called Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo “ridiculous.”
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