Pope and Trump

Pope Francis

- BY REMY JAYASEKERE

One, a holy, kind and well respected man and the other an arrogant man described as a liar, a cheat and a womaniser. Both are world leaders but in very different ways. For a start, the above two photos show the vast difference between them.

One a genuine photo showing a smiling and happy Pope and the other a doctored photo, showing an angry and threatening President. Trump joked that he would “like to be Pope” and then out of the blue he posted the above photo on Twitter (X). This irreverent posting, which was in very poor taste drew instant outrage and condemnation from all over the world. This act alone shows the terrible calibre of the man.

The Pope is the spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics in the world. Francis lived in a modest guest house instead of the traditional Papal apartments and he was totally focused on humility and simplicity. He often spoke about social justice, inequality and the marginalised in the world. He also called for global action on climate change and promoted improved relations with other religions including Islam and Judaism. His criticism of free market economics and siding with the left prompted claims that he was a communist. He even said, “It is the communists who think like Christians”. He called capitalism a source of inequality at best and at worst a killer. It is shocking how things have changed in the Catholic church. One of his predecessors, Pope John Paul the second, is widely credited with playing a significant part along with Ronald Reagan and Margret Thatcher in bringing down communism in Eastern Europe. One Pope brings communism down and another wants to embrace it. While Francis’ behaviour and statements were progressive, kind and loving, it is doubtful whether they had a significant impact on any of the causes he was championing. He had no armies to fight and he cannot fix tariffs like Trump does. He could only preach but his preaching seems to fall in deaf ears.