When two prominent world figures like Pope Leo and Donald Trump clash ideologically, it’s a good story for media outlets to cover and a rising concern. The Vatican’s new Pope Leo XIV seems unhappy and appeared to take a pointed jab at U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent travel ban during his Pentecost sermon at the Vatican on Sunday.
President Donald Trump imposed comprehensive travel restrictions on 19 countries just days earlier. Twelve nations, including Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen, now face full entry bans. In contrast, seven others, such as Venezuela, Cuba, and Sierra Leone, are subject to partial restrictions.
As per GB News, Pope Leo (formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost) addressed a crowd of around 80,000 in St. Peter’s Square. He gave a strong message denouncing the rise of nationalist politics and exclusionary approaches. Without naming specific leaders or nations, Pope Leo warned against “prejudice” and “security zones” used to divide people.
“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,” he said during one of the Church’s most sacred celebrations. The First American Pope previously condemned Donald Trump and JD Vance‘s policies and shared several posts on X (formerly Twitter).
The pontiff spoke against Donald Trump’s immigration and deportation policies of illegal individuals who came to the U.S. in May 2025 in his first address to world diplomats and said, “My own story is that of a citizen, the descendant of immigrants, who in turn chose to emigrate,” he told ambassadors at the Vatican. (via Reuters)
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“All of us, in our lives, can find ourselves healthy or sick, employed or unemployed, living in our native land or a foreign country, yet our dignity always remains unchanged. It is the dignity of a creature willed and loved by God,” he added. He strongly urged that every individual, especially those from deprived and vulnerable backgrounds, deserves to live with dignity and respect.
According to the outlet, Pope Leo was born in Chicago but lived in Peru for several years as a missionary. His ancestors are assumed to have come from the Dominican Republic or Haiti, two nations that share an island in the Caribbean. His family has roots in the Creole culture of New Orleans in the southern U.S. state of Louisiana. Moreover, he is an American citizen.
The late Pope Francis was also an outspoken critic of Donald Trump’s policies, particularly on immigration, and even disagreed with many of Vice President JD Vance’s statements, even though Francis was known to move away from tradition and doctrinal clarity. His time as Pope reflected a vision for the Church shaped in the 1970s, one that mostly contradicted the approaches of Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
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He was modern and allowed priests to bless same-sex couples, something both Donald Trump and Pope Leo have publicly condemned. As Trump took office in January 2025, he announced that America would identify only two official genders, male and female. Meanwhile, Pope Leo appears to be a man deeply rooted in the traditions of the Church, willfully drawing upon the instructions of the Church Fathers and popes across the centuries.
The 69-year-old pontiff, reportedly more reserved, became the Pope on May 8. Following Pope Francis’ death on April 21. After a tedious voting process, he was sworn in as the 21st head of the 1.4 billion-member Roman Catholic Church. People knew a new era of the Vatican had begun.
Hearing the Pope speaking English in an American accent is something that will very much startle me the first few times https://t.co/uPF3ZbsE2E
— Otto Von Tweetmarck (@OVTweetmarck) May 8, 2025
Whether Pope Leo and Donald Trump cordially agree with each other’s views is unclear. Still, one thing is for sure: Donald Trump has his much-deserved clone, a man who’s rooted yet not afraid to condemn the 78-year-old and knows well enough how to create a PR image and manipulate the public with his words (in a proper American English accent, by the way).
Scroll down for some recent pictures of Pope Leo XIV.
J.D. Vance and his wife Usha with Pope Leo (Image Source: X.com)
Pope Leo waving to people (Image Source: X/@CatholicCassie)
Pope Leo during a sermon (Image Source: X/Vatican News)
