Trump doubles down on his criticism of the Pope – and turns on Meloni
President Trump has given an interview to the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Ser, continuing to criticise Pope Leo. He said the Pope had “no idea” about the war in Iran, its nuclear threat, or the Iranian regime’s record on anti-government protesters. He said the Pope “shouldn’t be talking about war, because he has no idea what’s going on. He doesn’t understand that 42,000 protesters were killed in Iran last month.” He then turned on the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, who had said Trump’s remarks on the Pope were unacceptable and as head of the church, it was only right that he should call for peace and condemn war. Until this point, Trump had praised Meloni as one of his closest allies. But after this, he said: “She’s unacceptable. She’s unacceptable because she doesn’t mind that Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if they had the chance… Giorgia Meloni doesn’t want to help us in the war; I’m shocked by her. She’s much different than I thought”.
Pope doubles down on peace: ‘God’s heart with the humble not the arrogant‘
Pope Leo has once more spoken of the need for peace. On the second day of his 11-day visit to Africa, he visited a care home for the elderly in Annaba, saying people were living there in hope and fraternity. He said: “God’s heart is torn apart by wars, violence, injustice, and lies, but our Father’s heart is not with the wicked, the arrogant, or the proud… God’s heart is with the little ones and the humble, and with them He builds up His kingdom of love and peace day by day”. In a message to participants in the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences plenary session this week, Pope Leo said that democracies remained healthy only when they were rooted in the moral law. He warned that “lacking this foundation, (democracy), risks becoming either a majoritarian tyranny or a mask for the dominance of economic and technological elites”. Peace and harmony have been constant themes so far in Africa. At the Grand Mosque of Algiers where he prayed in silence facing Mecca, he emphasised mutual respect between Christians and Muslims and the need to build peace together. And on his visit to Annaba, the site of the ancient city of Hippo, where St Augustine served as bishop, he preached at the Basilica and said: “In the face of poverty and oppression, the guiding principle above all for Christians is charity,”
JD Vance shrugs off Trump–Pope clash and defends ‘Jesus’ post as a joke
The US vice president JD Vance, a convert to Catholicism, has acknowledged that there have been “disagreements” between the Pope and his boss, Donald Trump, and said: “in some cases it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what’s going on in the Catholic church”. In recent days, Trump launched a blistering attack on Pope Leo, describing him as weak and catering to the radical left, and suggested he should aim at being a good Pope and not a politician. His invective followed the Pope’s sustained criticism of the war in Iran. JD Vance was asked to comment in an interview with Fox News and said: “We’re going to disagree on substantive questions from time to time. I think that’s a totally reasonable thing. It isn’t particularly newsworthy.” On Trump’s posting of an image of himself as Jesus healing a man, JD Vance said: “The president was posting a joke, and of course he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humour”. See the interview here
International conference on Sudan as aid agencies unite for urgent action
Today, 15 April, marks three years since the outbreak of civil war in Sudan, pitting the Sudan Armed Forces against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. An international conference on Sudan is being held today in Berlin, hosted by Germany and including the African Union, European Union, France, the United States and the United Kingdom. Twelve charities have come together to form “Keep Eyes On Sudan”, appealing for urgent action by the UN and the UK government to tackle the humanitarian crisis. A petition with 40,000 signatures was handed into Number Ten Downing Street yesterday. Anneliese Dodds MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Sudan and South Sudan said:“This situation has gone beyond catastrophe, and the people of Sudan can’t wait any longer. The UK Government must use its position as United Nations Security Council penholder to show the leadership this crisis demands”. She will be among several speakers at the RMC zoom briefing on “Sudan, the forgotten story”, today (Wednesday 15 April) at 12:00. Guests are:
- Christian Aid CEO Patrick Watt
- Islamic Relief interim Director Zia Salik
- Tearfund’s South Sudan Country Director, Erickson Bisetsa
- Sam Kiley, World Affairs Editor at The Independent
- Jon Williams, Executive Director of the Rory Peck Trust
- Anneliese Dodds, Labour MP
- Bishop Zechariah Manyok Biar, Bishop of Wanglei Diocese in South Sudan
- Bishop Anthony Poggo, from South Sudan, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion
Get the email link by emailing: [email protected].
Jewish private secondary school, Immanuel College, set to close
Immannuel College in Bushey has announced it will close this summer after a 35 year history, following financial pressure. In a statement reported by Jewish News, the school said that the combined impact of rising costs, the government’s introduction of VAT on independent school fees and increased National Insurance had changed the dynamic and reduced student numbers. The chair of governors Daniel Levy said: “This is an incredibly difficult and painful moment. Immanuel College has been a cornerstone of education and community life for 35 years, and we know how deeply this news will be felt by all those connected to it.” Governors had “rigorously explored all available options” and closed the preparatory school last year, but the income required was unattainable.
School assembly songs to attract families into church
“iSingPOP”, a Christian initiative that puts on music, singing and performance to help children explore Christianity, is set to support 300 churches in launching new gatherings for families of children from primary schools. They will all be encouraged to sing school assembly favourite hymns, linking school worship with local church life. The scheme is tun by the Innervation Trust and funded by £500,000 from the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board at the Church of England. Currently their work reaches 77,000 children each week, but the new scheme will train clergy and youth workers from 300 churches to expand the work. It will support the Church of England’s ambition to double the number of children and young people reached by the church by 2030. Story is here.
Artemis II pilot thanks God for the venture into space
Artemis II’s pilot, astronaut Victor Glove, has thanked God for the historic venture into space and the dark side of the moon. At a news conference, he said he had not yet processed what had happened: “When this started on April 3rd, I wanted to thank God and I want to thank God again, because, even bigger than my challenge trying to describe what we went through, the gratitude of seeing what we saw, doing what we did, and being with who I was with — it’s too big to just be in one body”.
