Trump's MAGA supporters take aim at Pope Leo after pontiff suggests US treatment of immigrants is 'not really pro-life'
One conservative Catholic described his comments as “disappointing” and “largely irrelevant”.
Trump's supporters have taken aim at the Pope after he suggested that backing the death penalty and ill-treatment of immigrants is 'not really pro-life'.
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MAGA Conservatives were left up in arms after the Chicago-born pontiff questioned whether the administration's treatment of immigrants really constitutes a 'pro-life' stance.
"Someone who says, ‘I’m against abortion but says I am in favor of the death penalty’ is not really pro-life,” Pope Leo XIV said Tuesday.
“Someone who says that ‘I’m against abortion, but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States,’ I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”
Pope Leo has adopted a less controversial stance to issues since becoming pontiff earlier this year.
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One conservative Catholic described his comments as “disappointing” and “largely irrelevant”.
Another right-wing commentator, Matt Walsh, branded it a “terrible answer from Pope Leo”.
Meanwhile another Trump loyalist and right-wing influencer, Jack Posobiec, said of Leo's comments: “Some popes are a blessing. Some popes are a penance.”
It comes in stark contrast to Pope Francis’s openness to the LGBTQ community and advocacy for migrants as he shunned capitalistic ideals.
However, the latest speech from Pope Leo saw the pontiff break new ground when it came to tackling controversial subjects.
On Tuesday, the pope was asked about plans for a Chicago cardinal to award Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, a member of Senate Democratic leadership, with a “Lifetime Achievement Award for support to immigrants".
It's a move that faced backlash, given the senator's stance on abortion rights, with some cardinals suggesting his views should disqualify him. The Democrat opted to refuse the honour.
But rather than condemn the award, Leo said it was important to look at the senator's “40 years of service in the United States Senate.”
The pope then added that it’s “not really pro-life” to oppose abortion and support the death penalty, while he went on to question whether supporting the “inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States” fell under the same banner.