US Catholics express unease over Trump's public disputes with Pope Leo
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
Donald Trump's ongoing public disagreements with Pope Leo are causing concern among some American Catholics, a significant voting demographic. Trump has criticized Pope Leo on various issues, including Iran and immigration, and recently called the pontiff "weak." Pope Leo, born in Chicago, has stated his moral obligation to speak against war. Some Catholics, like 88-year-old Jim Supp, expressed anger over Trump's questioning of the Pope's theological views and a deleted AI-generated image that appeared to depict Trump as a Christ-like figure, which 68-year-old John O’Brian considered "blasphemy." Pope Leo has also warned about AI abuse without directly referencing Trump's post. Traditionally, US presidents have avoided strong criticism of popes to maintain support from American Catholics. However, Trump has not followed this tradition, despite winning the 2024 election with a majority of Catholic votes. The Middle East conflict has been a point of contention, with Pope Leo condemning Trump's threat to attack Iranian civilization as "unacceptable," to which Trump responded by calling the pontiff "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy." This public sparring could pose a vulnerability for Republicans in the upcoming midterms. Anthony Clark, a policy fellow, acknowledged Trump's good intentions but noted his imprudence in approaching controversial topics. Others, like 22-year-old Carolina Herrera, respected Pope Leo for standing his ground against the administration. Whi
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The Federal Government has introduced emergency hotlines and a WhatsApp channel for reporting school bullying cases, following a Stakeholders Consultative Dialogue on Anti-Bullying in Schools organized by International Alert Nigeria in Abuja. The initiative aims to address the widespread issue of bullying in Nigerian schools, where studies indicate 70 to 85 percent of students have experienced it. The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Abel Enitan, represented by Assistant Director Gender, Augustina Apakasa, announced the ministry's reporting channels: 09012660044 for calls, 08052536133 for WhatsApp messages, and antibullying@education.gov.ng for emails. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons NAPTIP, represented by Director, Violence Against Persons Prohibition, Rebecca Enwusoyele, also provided a toll-free short code, 627, and an email address, @naptip.com.gov, noting that while bullying is not explicitly mentioned in the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act 2015, sections on intimidation, threat, and placing someone in fear can be applied. The National Safe School Response Coordination Centre, represented by Special Assistant Adebola Adeoye, also urged the public to use its hotline, 09131232323. Programme Manager of International Alert Nigeria, Sunday Jimoh, stated that a communiqué and advocacy note would be produced to engage policymakers on the implementation of existing anti-bullying legislation.