CBCP official: Pope’s statements were rooted in the Gospel

An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) expressed his full support for Pope Leo XIV and also sent his prayers for United States President Donald Trump amid the latter’s criticisms against the Pontiff.

In an interview with the media on Tuesday, CBCP Episcopal Commission on Public Affairs chairman Archbishop Ricardo Bacay said the Pope’s statements were rooted in the Gospel and were not political statements.

“I don’t see why it should be a problem. So, it’s something that ordinary Catholics like you can stand by with the Holy Father… Catholics are clearly out there supporting the Holy Father,” he said.

Earlier, Trump said the Pope, the leader of the Catholic Church, has been “very liberal” and “weak on crime.”

Bacay noted that it was good for Pope Leo XIV to be labeled as “weak on crime,” as this is expected of the Holy Father.

“Why should the Holy Father be strong on crime? So, that’s a positive way of seeing things. It’s coming from the President of the United States, so he must be coming from a situation that we are not privy of… But telling the Holy Father that he’s not good at this, I don’t take it against the Holy Father,” he said.

Bacay also sent his prayers for the US President, who posted an AI-generated photograph of himself being depicted as a Christ-like figure. Trump later said the photo was supposed to depict him as a doctor.

The photo drew flak from religious conservatives, even among his avid supporters.

“I felt sorry for him, and I prayed for Donald Trump to be enlightened about things that he’s doing just to get the attention, and the attention that he wants, maybe using at the expense of the Holy Father and the faith. And so, I was really saddened, and I prayed for him,” Bacay said.

Trump’s ongoing feud with the Pope came after the Holy Father criticized the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran as an “unjust war.”

Despite Trump’s criticisms against him, Pope Leo XIV said he does not fear the Trump administration” and that he will continue to speak out against the war. — JMA, GMA News