Pope Leo isn’t convinced by Donald Trump’s self-anointed nickname, “President of Peace.”
The pontiff sharply criticized the president’s invasion of Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on Saturday—an operation Trump has hinted could mark the beginning of a broader military campaign.
“It is with deep concern that I am following the developments in Venezuela,” Pope Leo wrote in an X post viewed 1.4 million times at publication.
He continued: “The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration. This must lead to the overcoming of violence and to the pursuit of paths of justice and peace. I pray for all this, and I invite you to pray too, entrusting our prayer to the intercession of Our Lady of Coromoto, and to Saints José Gregorio Hernández and Carmen Rendiles.”
The surprise attack that seized the 63-year-old Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their bedroom early Saturday morning killed at least 40 people—including military personnel and civilians—a senior Venezuelan official told The New York Times. Trump, meanwhile, said there were no American casualties and only “few” injuries.
The operation has sparked alarm across Latin America, particularly as Trump has threatened military action in Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba in the days since.
The Chicago native has also repeatedly condemned Trump’s hostile treatment of immigrants, his deportation tactics, and elements of the president’s approach to Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations.
During Sunday prayers at the Vatican, the pope called for Venezuela to remain an independent country, responding to Trump’s remarks that the United States would temporarily run the nation—a stance later walked back by Marco Rubio on Sunday.
”We must not delay in overcoming violence and embarking on paths of justice and peace, while guaranteeing the country’s sovereignty,” the pope proclaimed to pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square, Reuters reported.
“The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration,” he said.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
This is not the first time the pope—who holds dual citizenship in Peru and the United States—has clashed with the American president.
In October, days after Trump described climate change as “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world,” the American-born pontiff urged world leaders to “act with courage” on the issue.
While Pope Leo may not be MAGA, his brother certainly is. The pope’s eldest brother, 74-year-old Louis Prevost, described himself as a “MAGA type” after the family was thrust into the spotlight earlier this year.
He reportedly attended a Mar-a-Lago party late last year, where Trump declared, “I love this guy!”
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