Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Johannesburg (Agenzia Fides) – Verbal remarks by US President Donald Trump about Pope Leo XIV are "a cause for great concern," according to Cardinal Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Johannesburg, in an article published by the Daily Maverick newspaper, speaking in his capacity as President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC, which also includes the bishops of Botswana, South Africa, and Eswatini).
Referring to insinuations about the election of Leo XIV (elected “because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J Trump”), Cardinal Brislin affirmed: “One thing I can attest to is that those of us gathered in the Sistine Chapel did not consider any particular political leader as a factor when we elected the Holy Father. Nor did we consider the nationality of the future pontiff. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we elected the person who was best suited to become head of the church, who could best respond to the era we live in, and who would best serve all the peoples of the world.” Regarding the positions expressed by Pope Leo XIV, which have been criticized by Trump, the Cardinal emphasizes that “Leo XIV clearly expressed the Church’s position on the main issues affecting the world, including the treatment of migrants, climate crisis, the need for truth in the age of disinformation and artificial intelligence, and opposition to war and military intervention.” “These are not the Pope’s personal positions. It is the stance of the Catholic Church as a whole that we all represent and defend,” the Cardinal stresses. The publication of an AI-generated image of the US president depicted as Christ has also sparked a reaction from the SACBC. “Any representation-whether by image or technological means that attributes to a political leader the identity or likeness of Our Lord Jesus Christ is blasphemous and constitutes a grave offense against the Christian faith,” states a note signed by Bishop Thulani Victor Mbuyisa of Kokstad and president of the SACBC’s Justice and Peace Commission. It is “an image that trivializes the mystery of the Incarnation and the person of Christ, who is the only ‘image of the invisible God’ (Col 1:15).” “As followers of Christ, we will not allow any earthly authority, however powerful, to claim a divine identity or appropriate the symbols of the faith in a way that obscures the truth of the Gospel,” states Bishop Mbuyisa.
The president of the Justice and Peace Commission completely rejects the instrumental use of religion for political ends. “President Trump’s actions are rooted in and shaped by a strong current of Christian nationalism. We firmly reject forms of Christian nationalism that encourage the worship of political leaders and portray them as bearing a salvific role for their nations, presenting them as "political messiahs" tasked with making their nations great again.” In response to the attacks by the US president against Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Mbuyisa firmly condemns them: “We condemn President Trump's attacks directed at Pope Leo XIV as he faithfully carries out his Petrine ministry, proclaiming the peace of the Risen Christ to a world wounded by personal and structural sin.”
“The ridicule by President Trump will not, therefore, deter the Church from speaking out and declaring the healing and peace of the Risen Lord into our wounded world. We therefore repeat the message of Pope Leo XIV to President Trump and to all those who are leading the world toward the brink of a third world war and a global economic recession: ‘Enough of the idolatry of self and money. Enough of the display of power. Enough of war. True strength is shown in serving life’," the statement concludes. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 15/4/2026)
