Many world leaders had something to say and were quick to offer condolences after the death of Pope Francis on April 21. This included Pres. Donald Trump, who shared a statement on his Truth Social social media platform.
Donald Trump shared: “Rest in peace Pope Francis! May God bless him and all who loved him!” He also said that the US flag should be flown at half-staff, saying that it was in respect and honor of ‘the memory of His Holiness Pope Francis.’
In the past, Donald Trump and Pope Francis did have their difficulties. Eventually, they would go their separate ways but at first, it was a fairly positive exchange.
Prior to Trump entering the White House, he had good things to say about the newly elected pope. He tweeted: “The new Pope is a humble man, very much like me, which probably explains why I like him so much!”
As they continued their trek through politics, however, they began to go their separate ways. This included in their thoughts on social injustice and immigration.
In 2016, the Pope spoke about the border wall plans by Donald Trump, and said: “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.”
Trump said that it was ‘disgraceful’ to question someone’s faith when you were a religious leader.
They did meet face-to-face in 2017 when Trump visited the Vatican. Trump said: “He is something. We had a fantastic meeting.”
That didn’t mean that all of the tension was gone. He and Pope Francis continued to have their problems, especially after the Pope condemned mass deportations, saying that they were a disgrace and warning that a policy ‘built on force rather than human dignity begins badly and will end badly.’
Trump did keep his condolences short but others had more to say. VP JD Vance, who is Catholic, had met with the Pope shortly before he died and said in a post on social media: “I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.”
He went on to say: “I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul.”
Donald Trump also said that he and the First Lady would attend the Pope’s funeral. This will be the president’s first foreign trip of his second term in office.
Trump said: “Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!”
This caused quite an uproar online, as they were saying that the president was being a bit tone-deaf and out of touch with his statement. They began asking questions, such as, who looks forward to going to a funeral?
The funeral will take place on Saturday, April 26 in St. Peter’s Square.
