After the news of the death of Pope Francis was known worldwide, President Donald Trump, issued a brief message of condolences through social media.
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“Rest in peace, Pope Francis! May God bless him and all who loved him!”, wrote the President of the United States on his Truth Social network.
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Then he announced an executive order for the flags of the United States to be flown at half-staff in recognition of the death of the pontiff “at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, on the day of interment.”
Anyway, Trump participated on Monday morning at the White House in the festive Easter egg ceremony and painted drawings with dozens of children. In fact, when he briefly spoke about the pope on one of the balconies, he did so next to a person dressed as a rabbit.
Immigration highlighted differences between Pope Francis and Donald Trump
The relationship between the Catholic Church’s pope and the Republican president of the United States was marked by significant differences and tension due to the treatment of immigrants.
“Someone who only thinks about building walls, wherever they may be, and not about building bridges, is not a Christian,” said Francis in 2016 in response to Donald Trump’s promise during his first presidential campaign to build a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico.
Trump did not hold back and responded by stating that “if the Vatican were attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is their biggest trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would be president, because this would not have happened.”
Despite those differences, a year later and with Trump already in the White House, they met during a visit of the President of the United States to the Vatican. A photo of Trump smiling and Pope Francis with a somber expression went viral.
A few months ago, before being hospitalized for pneumonia, Francis made a harsh criticism of Trump’s government plans to carry out mass deportations of immigrants.
In a letter to the bishops of the United States, the pope acknowledged that nations have the right to protect themselves from criminals, but he assured that “the act of deporting people who in many cases have left their land due to extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution, or serious environmental degradation, damages the dignity of many men and women, and entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.”
Citing the Book of Exodus and Jesus’ own experience, Francis reaffirmed the right of people to seek refuge and safety in other lands, and described the deportation plan as a “major crisis” unfolding in the United States.
In the text, it seemed to be directly aimed at Vice President JD Vance, who had defended the deportation program based on theological arguments.
Tom Homan, the “border czar” of the Trump administration, immediately responded, pointing out that the Vatican is a city-state surrounded by walls.
According to information from the New York Post, it is expected that the President of the United States will attend the pope’s funeral, which should take place later this week.
The heartfelt tributes from former presidents
Unlike Donald Trump, Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden both wrote heartfelt messages after Francisco’s death.
“In his humility and his gestures at once simple and profound – embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners – he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral obligations to God and one another,” said Barack and Michelle Obama in a statement.
In turn, on social media Joe Biden wrote that “I am a better person for having known him” and described Francis as “the Pope of the People”.
Before leaving office, Biden had planned to visit Francisco, but the trip was canceled due to the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles metropolitan area last January. Instead, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a phone call.