Arellano: Pope Leo isn't afraid of President Trump. We shouldn't be, either - BERITAJA

“I’m not afraid.”

With these 3 words Sunday morning, Pope Leo XIV offered arsenic powerful a rebuke of President Trump and everything he has wrought connected the world arsenic anyone ever has.

Three words that mocked Trump for being the bully that he is.

Three words that undercut Trump’s self-hyped aura of invincibility.

Three words to animate each bully group to conflict against Trump — because if a mild-mannered man of God specified arsenic Leo isn’t afraid, nary 1 should be.

Pope Leo’s words thrilled maine arsenic an American but particularly arsenic a Catholic. His quiet, assured witnesser since becoming pontiff successful May had already reignited a belief ray successful maine to adhere person to the religion I was brought up in.

Trump’s actions during his 2nd word — war, deportations, nasty rhetoric and a emotion of himself supra each other — person been for illustration substance to that fire. They guidelines against everything I was ever taught was bully and holy.

Hearing Leo’s elemental smackdown of the president, astatine a clip erstwhile excessively galore group insist we must descend to Trump’s lows to hit him, is for illustration receiving a sacrament I ne'er knew I needed.

Leo said a fewer hours aft Trump trashed him connected societal media, calling him “WEAK connected Crime, and unspeakable for Foreign Policy” — each because of the pope’s critiques of perpetual wars and this country’s vile curen of undocumented immigrants, while ne'er mentioning anyone by name.

Until now.

“I’m not acrophobic of the Trump management aliases of speaking retired loudly about the connection of the Gospel, which is what the religion useful for,” he told reporters while walking to Algeria to footwear disconnected a 10-day African mission. He repeated the connection later, stating: “I person nary fear.”

In response, Trump melted down for illustration the Nazis astatine the extremity of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” critiquing the pope to reporters and past posting an image connected societal media of himself arsenic a robed savior treatment a sick man, ray emanating from his hands.

This pathetic fusillade offended moreover Catholic League President Bill Donohue, who has made a profession of trashing wide Catholics and who defended Trump past twelvemonth aft the president shared an image of himself successful papal robes and mitre aft the decease of Pope Francis. This time, Donohue deemed Trump’s Christ-like imagery “offensive and immature.”

President Trump waves arsenic he returns to the White House connected Sunday. During a short relationship pinch reporters, he blasted Pope Leo XI arsenic “very liberal.”

(Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press)

The president has a batch to fearfulness these days, and not conscionable because he violated about of the Ten Commandments pinch his bonkers Jesus post, which quickly disappeared. One of the fewer sane adults near successful his management must person reminded him that antagonizing Catholics is simply a unspeakable governmental move. About 55% of them voted for him successful the 2024 election, galore successful plaything states specified arsenic Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that had sided pinch Joe Biden — a Catholic — 4 years before.

A Fox News canvass released past week recovered that only 48% of Catholics nationwide o.k. of Trump’s wide performance. While 57% of achromatic Catholics still support Trump, a mostly of them aren’t happy pinch his actions successful Iran — the rumor that’s turning retired to beryllium a millstone about his neck.

Trump’s 2nd word has been a nightmare that seems to worsen each day. Yet not only is this state still standing, but much and much group are waking up to the insult he’s made of American values. One of the caller warriors is Leo, who told reporters he said retired not to sway authorities successful his location country, but to offer, successful his domiciled arsenic caput of the world’s 1.4 cardinal Catholics, a reminder of what Jesus practiced and preached.

No wonderment Trump, who wants to erect idols to himself for illustration a Canaanite king, is truthful upset.

May Leo’s words aftermath up much bully people, sloppy of their faith, to emergence against Trump — and particularly operation lapsed Catholics to return to Mother Church.

U.S. Catholics person agelong served arsenic a barometer of acceptance for newcomers and the moving class. But only about 20% of Americans place arsenic Catholic, per a Pew Research Center study released past year. And only 30% of those Catholics be Mass weekly. Many much time off the religion than adopt it, astatine rates that acold transcend different Christian denominations. This illness has allowed the Catholic church’s blimpish helping to return over, departing from the historical ngo and alternatively starring america to Trump.

My lifelong committedness to societal justness and my eternal skepticism of powerfulness and avarice comes from what I learned increasing up astatine St. Boniface successful Anaheim. I moreover had aspirations to go a priest, because I find fewer things much noble than dedicating your life to helping others.

I stopped attending Mass erstwhile I began covering the church’s activity maltreatment scandals arsenic a journalist. I was outraged that men who held themselves up to beryllium the custodians of God connected Earth not only allowed specified crimes to hap but usually covered them up and shunted disconnected the offenders to mediocre parishes for illustration mine.

I ne'er stopped praying aliases considering myself a Catholic — but I couldn’t bring myself to support institutions headed by men specified arsenic L.A. Archbishop José H. Gómez and Diocese of Orange Bishop Kevin Vann, who ever look to person crisp words for progressives but ne'er for Trump.

It’s been a agelong roadworthy backmost for maine to openly constitute about my religion pinch pridefulness — but Trump’s continued heresies person made it necessary. I still don’t cognize erstwhile aliases if I’ll commencement attending Mass again regularly, but the truth that I’m moreover reasoning about it shows Leo’s effect connected me.

Recently, personification I was interviewing noticed my scapular of the Santo Niño de Atocha pinch the connection “Amor” connected the different side. Last year, I tucked this elemental necklace that’s a motion of devotion wrong the integrative sleeve holding my Los Angeles Times badge, on pinch a fewer belief medals.

Pope Leo caused that. Trump caused that. Any chance to talk about my Catholic religion and why Trump is bad, I’m going to take.

I’m not afraid.