Trump pays tribute to Pope Francis despite pontiff’s criticism of policies

[ad_1] President Donald Trump paid tribute to Pope Francis in a submit on TruthSocial as information of the pontiff’s loss of life emerged.

The late Pope, who was born within the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, beforehand condemned the U.S. President’s stance on immigration throughout his first time period in workplace in 2016.

Trump launched an announcement on the Pope's loss of life, hours after the Vatican declared the information.

“Relaxation in Peace Pope Francis! Might God Bless him and all who cherished him!“ he wrote on his social media platform.

Vice President JD Vance, who had briefly met with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday, was the primary to subject an announcement from India, the place he’s on a diplomatic mission alongside his spouse, Usha.

“I simply discovered of the passing of Pope Francis. My coronary heart goes out to the hundreds of thousands of Christians all around the world who cherished him,” Vance wrote on X early Monday.

“I used to be pleased to see him yesterday, although he was clearly very in poor health. However I’ll all the time bear in mind him for the beneath homily he gave within the very early days of COVID. It was actually fairly stunning.”

“Might God relaxation his soul,” he added.

<img alt="Trump made an official visit to the Vatican in May 2017, a year after he attacked Pope Francis for condemning his immigration policies (REUTERS)" loading="lazy" width="960" height="640" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/3IiezgXeKp1XwTy2n7KEgw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_independent_577/aea58de87e2506436bf63be7a58fcc1f"/> Trump made an official go to to the Vatican in Might 2017, a yr after he attacked Pope Francis for condemning his immigration insurance policies (REUTERS)

The vice chairman had been in Europe visiting the Pope simply hours earlier than on the Domus Santa Marta "to alternate Easter greetings," the Vatican mentioned.

Vance, who transformed to Catholicism in 2019, beforehand engaged in an "alternate of opinions" with Vatican officers over migration and the Trump administration’s plans to deport migrants en masse.

Trump, nonetheless, had beforehand been a vocal critic of Pope Francis after the pontiff criticized the president’s choice to construct a border wall with Mexico in 2016.

On the time, the Pope declared that "an individual who thinks solely about constructing partitions [...] and never of constructing bridges, is just not Christian.”

Trump had declared his want to deport practically 11 million undocumented immigrants from the US, and regardless of figuring out as a "proud Christian", he blamed Mexico for the Pope's remarks, calling the then-79-year-old’s phrases "disgraceful,” in accordance with a Fb submit in February 2016.

<img alt="Pope Francis visited Mexico in 2016, as Trump pledged his commitment to deporting millions of undocumented migrants from the U.S. (AP)" loading="lazy" width="960" height="654" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/zVB.GbERBAWFqfGgjGctGA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY1NA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_independent_577/c47e4e9a819eb596d9695d6496461e6b"/> Pope Francis visited Mexico in 2016, as Trump pledged his dedication to deporting hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants from the U.S. (AP)

“For a spiritual chief to query an individual’s religion is disgraceful. I'm proud to be a Christian and as President, I can't enable Christianity to be persistently attacked and weakened, not like what is going on now, with our present President.

“No chief, particularly a spiritual chief, ought to have the appropriate to query one other man’s faith or religion. They're utilizing the Pope as a pawn and they need to be ashamed of themselves for doing so, particularly when so many lives are concerned and when unlawful immigration is so rampant,” mentioned Trump.

Equally, simply days after Pope Francis succeeded Pope Benedict XVI, Trump lambasted papal etiquette, writing in March 2013: “I don’t like seeing the Pope standing on the checkout counter (entrance desk) of a lodge with a purpose to pay his invoice. It’s not Pope-like!”

<img alt="JD Vance was the first to speak out, after he briefly met with Pope Francis a day prior (VATICAN MEDIA/AFP via Getty Imag)" loading="lazy" width="960" height="640" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/f8G8gccDoDcuXZ4D.KeCow--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_independent_577/ea4d6a46a820ea0a72c6f9fd50c1dbbb"/> JD Vance was the primary to talk out, after he briefly met with Pope Francis a day prior (VATICAN MEDIA/AFP through Getty Imag)

Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, resigned from the papacy on February 28, 2013, citing age and in poor health well being. He died in December 2022 on the age of 95.

Nonetheless, Trump argued on the time that his resignation was pointless, writing: “The Pope mustn't have resigned — he ought to have lived it out. It hurts him, it hurts the church…”

Upon being chosen to take the reins, Trump spoke on Pope Francis’ appointment, writing: “Congratulations to my Catholic buddies on the number of Pope Francis I to steer the Catholic Church. Folks that know him love him!”

Trump visited the Vatican in March 2017 and mentioned Pope Francis was “a humble man, very very like me, which in all probability explains why I like him a lot!”

The White Home posted a brief commemorative message on X following the information, captioned “Relaxation in Peace, Pope Francis,” moments after JD Vance issued an announcement, posting footage of Trump's 2017 go to together with Vance’s Sunday.