Leo, the first US pope, criticizes nationalist politics at Sunday Mass
Pope Leo XIV leads the mass for the Jubilee of the Ecclesial Movements, Associations and New Communities, in St. Peter square at the Vatican, June 8, 2025. REUTERS/ Remo Casilli
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo criticized the emergence of nationalist political movements on Sunday, calling them unfortunate, without naming a specific country or national leader.
Leo, the first pope from the US, asked during a Mass with a crowd of tens of thousands in St. Peter's Square that God would "open borders, break down walls [and] dispel hatred."
"There is no room for prejudice, for 'security' zones separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms," said the pontiff.
Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected on May 8 to succeed the late Pope Francis as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church.
Before becoming pontiff, Prevost was not shy about criticizing US President Donald Trump, sharing numerous disapproving posts about Trump and Vice President JD Vance on X in recent years.
The Vatican has not confirmed the new pope's ownership of the X account, which had the handle @drprevost, and was deactivated after Leo's election.
Francis, pope for 12 years, was a sharp critic of Trump. The late pope said in January that the president's plan to deport millions of migrants in the US during his second term was a "disgrace."
Earlier, Francis said Trump was "not Christian" because of his views on immigration.
"A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Francis said when asked about Trump in 2016.
Leo was celebrating a Mass for Pentecost, one of the Church's most important holidays. — Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
6 hours ago
- GMA Network
Nuclear diplomacy stuck, Israel says it killed top Iran commander
A missile launched from Iran is intercepted as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, June 21, 2025. The Israeli military warned of an incoming missile barrage from Iran, triggering air raid sirens across parts of central Israel, including Tel Aviv, as well as in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Saturday. At the same time, Israel launched a new wave of attacks against missile storage and launch infrastructure sites in Iran, the Israeli military says. REUTERS/Amir Cohen ISTANBUL/JERUSALEM - Iran deems European proposals to curb its nuclear program unrealistic and a hurdle to agreement, a senior Iranian official said on Saturday, while Israel said it killed a veteran Iranian commander during attacks by both sides. The more than week-long air war between longtime foes Israel and Iran continued with reports of strikes on an Iranian nuclear facility. The U.S. was weighing whether to back Israel in the conflict while other powers urged de-escalation. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met British, French and German counterparts, plus the EU, on Friday in Geneva in search of a path back to diplomacy and a possible ceasefire. But proposals made by the European powers were "unrealistic", the senior Iranian official told Reuters, saying that insistence on them would not bring agreement closer. "In any case, Iran will review the European proposals in Tehran and present its responses in the next meeting," the official said, adding that zero enrichment was a dead end and Tehran would not negotiate over its defensive capabilities. Israel launched attacks on June 13 saying Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, while Iran says its atomic program is only for peaceful purposes. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons, which it neither confirms nor denies. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Saeed Izadi, who led the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' overseas arm, was killed in a strike on an apartment in the city of Qom. Calling his killing a "major achievement for Israeli intelligence and the Air Force", Katz said Izadi had financed and armed the Palestinian militant group Hamas ahead of its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza. The Revolutionary Guards said five of its members died in attacks on Khorramabad, according to Iranian media. They did not mention Izadi, who was on U.S. and British sanctions lists, but said Israel had also attacked a building in Qom, with initial reports of a 16-year-old killed and two people injured. Hundreds killed At least 430 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since Israel began its attacks, Iranian state-run Nour News said, citing the health ministry. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed by Iranian missile attacks, according to local authorities, in the worst conflict between the longtime enemies. At a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Araqchi said Israel's aggression, which he said had indications of US involvement, should stop so Iran can "come back to diplomacy". "It is obvious that I can't go to negotiations with the US when our people are under bombardments under the support of the U.S," he told reporters on the sidelines, before meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The top Iranian diplomat said U.S. involvement in the conflict would be "very dangerous". Araqchi is set to visit Moscow, Iran's ally, on Monday. President Donald Trump has said he would take up to two weeks to decide whether the United States should enter the conflict on Israel's side, enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses", he said. Iran would be able to have a nuclear weapon "within a matter of weeks, or certainly within a matter of months", he said on Friday, adding: "We can't let that happen." Yet in March, Tulsi Gabbard, his national intelligence director, testified to Congress that the US intelligence community judged that Tehran was not working on a nuclear warhead. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that a centrifuge manufacturing workshop at the Isfahan nuclear facility, one of Iran's biggest, was hit - but added it contained no nuclear material. Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors expressed concerns to U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi about the safety of nuclear facilities close to their countries and "dangerous repercussions" of targeting them, Qatar state news agency said. Israel said it was attacking military infrastructure. Interceptions over Tel Aviv Early on Saturday, air raid sirens were triggered across parts of central Israel and in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with missile interceptions visible over Tel Aviv and explosions echoing. There were no reports of casualties. The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based rights organization that tracks Iran, gave a higher death toll than Tehran, saying Israeli attacks have killed 639 people there. Those killed in Iran include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. Israel said it also killed a second commander of the Guards' overseas arm, whom it identified as Benham Shariyari, during an overnight strike. Iran's health minister, Mohammadreza Zafarqandi, said Israel has attacked three hospitals during the conflict, killing two health workers and a child, and has targeted six ambulances, according to Fars. Asked about such reports, an Israeli military official said that only military targets were being struck, though there may have been collateral damage in some incidents. An Iranian missile hit a hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba on Thursday. Turkey, Russia and China have demanded immediate de-escalation. Despite the downbeat assessment from the senior Iranian official, French President Emmanuel Macron said he and Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian agreed on a Saturday call to accelerate talks. Israel says it will not stop attacks until it dismantles Iran's nuclear program and ballistic missile capabilities, which it views as an existential threat, saying this could take more than a few weeks. — Reuters
GMA Network
17 hours ago
- GMA Network
Filipinos hurt amid Israel-Iran conflict now 7; five already discharged —DFA
The number of Filipinos injured amid the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran is currently at seven, five of whom were already discharged from the hospital, Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said Saturday. "May pito na throughout the past several days, nadala sa ospital. Sa pito na iyon, lima na na-discharged na. Pero may dalawa na nasa ospital pa. 'Yung isa kasi binagsakan ng bubong noong tinamaan ng missile," De Vega said in an interview on Dobol B TV. (There have been seven throughout the past several days that were taken to the hospital. Of those seven, five have been discharged. But there are two still in the hospital. The roof fell on one of them when it was hit by a missile.) De Vega reported that the one previously reported as critical had already undergone surgery. Further, the number of Filipinos losing their homes is increasing. "Ang maganda diyan, hindi nadadagdagan [ang injuries]. Ang nadagdagan, 'yung number ng Filipinos na kailangan i-shelter na, nawawalan ng bahay, mga 67 na, dati 49." (The good thing about that is that [the injuries] are not rising. What has increased is the number of Filipinos who need shelter, who are losing their homes, now about 67, previously 49.) A drone photo shows the damage over residential homes at the impact site following missile attack from Iran on Israel, in Tel Aviv, Israel June 16, 2025. REUTERS/ Moshe Mizrahi Repatriation He said more Filipinos have expressed their intent to return to the Philippines following the war between the two countries. "One hundred seventy eight (178) and rising," he said, adding that the first batch of 26 Filipinos are expected to come home this weekend. Filipinos could exit Israel by crossing its border into Jordan since flight operations are currently suspended. However, De Vega said some overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) remain hesitant to go back to the Philippines and asked for assurance that they could still return to Israel after the tensions. "Ang problema po, kakaunti lang talaga ang gustong umuwi dahil ang number one tinatanong nila, 'Kung uuwi kami, makakabalik ba kami?' Hindi namin maga-guarantee 'yan, kasi kailan matatapos ang gulo?" (The problem is, very few OFWs want to go home because the number one question they ask is, 'If we go home, will we be able to come back?' We cannot guarantee that, because we do not know when the conflict will end.) Iran and Israel exchanged fresh attacks early Saturday, a day after Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear program while under threat and Europe tried to keep peace talks alive, Reuters reported. —KG, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
21 hours ago
- GMA Network
Iran, Israel launch new attacks after Tehran rules out nuclear talks
A missile launched from Iran is intercepted as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, June 21, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON - Iran and Israel exchanged fresh attacks early on Saturday, a day after Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear program while under threat and Europe tried to keep peace talks alive. Shortly after 2:30 a.m. in Israel (2330 GMT on Friday), the Israeli military warned of an incoming missile barrage from Iran, triggering air raid sirens across parts of central Israel, including Tel Aviv, as well as in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Interceptions were visible in the sky over Tel Aviv, with explosions echoing across the metropolitan area as Israel's air defence systems responded. At the same time, Israel launched a new wave of attacks against missile storage and launch infrastructure sites in Iran, the Israeli military said. Sirens also sounded in southern Israel, said Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency service. An Israeli military official said Iran had fired five ballistic missiles and that there were no immediate indications of any missile impacts. There were no initial reports of casualties. The emergency service released images showing a fire on the roof of a multi-storey residential building in central Israel. Local media reported that the fire was caused by debris from an intercepted began attacking Iran last Friday, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this. Its air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organization that tracks Iran. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities. Reuters could not independently verify casualty figures for either side. Talks show little progress Iran has repeatedly targeted Tel Aviv, a metropolitan area of around 4 million people and the country's business and economic hub, where some critical military assets are also located. Israel said it had struck dozens of military targets on Friday, including missile production sites, a research body it said was involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran and military facilities in western and central Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was no room for negotiations with the US "until Israeli aggression stops". But he arrived in Geneva on Friday for talks with European foreign ministers at which Europe hopes to establish a path back to diplomacy. US President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated that he would take as long as two weeks to decide whether the United States should enter the conflict on Israel's side, enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses", he said. Trump said he was unlikely to press Israel to scale back its airstrikes to allow negotiations to continue. "I think it's very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens," he said. The Geneva talks produced little signs of progress, and Trump said he doubted negotiators would be able to secure a ceasefire. "Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one," Trump said. Hundreds of US citizens have fled Iran since the air war began, according to a US State Department cable seen by Reuters. Israel's envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the Security Council on Friday his country would not stop its attacks "until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled". Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani called for Security Council action and said Tehran was alarmed by reports that the US might join the war. Russia and China demanded immediate de-escalation. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran was ready to discuss limitations on uranium enrichment but that it would reject any proposal that barred it from enriching uranium completely, "especially now under Israel's strikes". —Reuters
