This new pope is not America's. He is the Catholic pope.
I am not a Catholic, but I do have utmost respect for people who are. I am also pleased, considering the tremendous influence he has, that Pope Leo XIV will continue the inclusive and humanitarian efforts of Pope Francis. My bone to pick is with the media: They all keep referring to him as the "American pope." America does not have a pope. He is the Catholic pope, born in America. Please get it right.
Jeffrey B. Brown, Palm Beach Gardens
Opinion: Pope Francis' message of tolerance was an inspiration to this lapsed Catholic
A letter writer recently commented on President Donald Trump depicting himself as the pope. That was not right for Trump or his people to do that.
Let me say something about former President Joe Biden and other Democratic politicians who claim to be Catholics: Some years back, Father Robert Morey, pastor of St. Anthony Catholic Church in the Diocese of Charleston, S.C., refused to give Biden communion because of his support for abortion.
More priests, bishops, cardinals and the pope should do the same.
Donald Coles, Boynton Beach
Opinion: Could Donald Trump really be next to Pope? Yes. Keep kneeling.
Has anyone considered a bill to limit the number of executive orders that any one president may issue? Perhaps if Congress put a cap on that particular practice, it might be used a bit more judiciously by the various presidents. I don't know if it's constitutionally possible, and it would almost certainly be vetoed by whichever president sees it on his desk, but vetoes can be overridden.
Joan Gefter, Delray Beach
I was shocked to read the May 10 letter "Removing fluoride ends discrimination against dentists." I can only hope this was written in jest. Have we become so prejudiced against those underprivileged who cannot afford the luxuries that the Trump administration believes only the rich deserve.
The addition of fluoride in our water system not only protects everyone against tooth decay but solves many problems. There are children who are not fortunate enough to get regular dental checkups because they lack insurance or the funds to visit a dentist regularly. Hence, their teeth are protected by the fluoride in the water supply. Proper dental hygiene prevents many other health problems — heart disease being one of the many.
Removing fluoride will be costly for all of us. Perhaps these dentists who feel they are losing business because of the fluoride may want to volunteer to help those in need when their teeth are rotting due to the lack of fluoride in the water system. The feeling you get when helping others is priceless.
Beverlee Miller Raymond, West Palm Beach
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Pope Leo doesn't just belong to America. | Letters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
6 minutes ago
- New York Times
Canada coach Jesse Marsch condemns U.S. treatment, ‘lack of respect' for Ukraine
Canada men's national team coach Jesse Marsch offered his support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian national team on Friday while also taking aim once again at United States President Donald Trump. 'As an American, the treatment that we have given the President of the Ukraine and the lack of respect really bothers me. Without having to know what it's like to go through something like what these players, this coach and this federation has been through, I am just really excited to be able to show our support,' Marsch said in his opening remarks at a Friday morning event with the Canada Ukraine Foundation. Advertisement Marsch is likely referencing a tense and fiery exchange between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Feb. 28 that made global headlines. Marsch has previously taken aim at Trump, saying in February that Trump should 'lay off the ridiculous rhetoric about Canada being the 51st state; as an American, I'm ashamed of the arrogance and disregard we've shown one of our historically oldest, strongest and most loyal allies.' Due to the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian national team is required to play its matches in neutral venues. 'If you think about the challenges that the players from Ukraine have been through, they haven't played a home match in several years, they've had to play World Cup qualifiers on foreign soil, they've had players playing professionally and internationally with the concern of the safety of their country and their family and their friends,' Marsch said. 'In general, the ability for us to have empathy and sympathy for everything that their team, their nation, their team, their players have gone through is really important at a time like this.' Ukraine's upcoming home matches in UEFA Group D of 2026 World Cup qualification do not yet have a location. 'As the Canadian national team coach, to show how much we are behind them, we are with them, that we want to do everything we can,' Marsch said, noting that one of the beauties of international football is that it 'can take on so much more than what the sport is.' Ukraine is in Toronto to play Canada in the Canadian Shield friendly tournament on Saturday. Ukraine will play its second match of the Canadian Shield friendly tournament on Tuesday against New Zealand, while Canada plays Ivory Coast also on Tuesday. 'It's really a pleasure and an honour to show that friendship and respect are at the core of everything we try to do in this sport,' Marsch said.
Forbes
9 minutes ago
- Forbes
More Musk-Trump Fallout: Tesla Sales Will Shrink At Historic Pace, Goldman Says
A pessimistic prediction for Tesla sales from Goldman Sachs added further fuel to the Tesla fire, as the unraveling relationship between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his former close ally President Donald Trump plays out publicly, accelerating Wall Street's concerns about the increasing exposure of Tesla to Musk's outspoken politics. Elon Musk has alienated 'multiple sides of the political spectrum' from Tesla, according to one ... More prominent Wall Street analyst. In a late Thursday note to clients, Goldman Sachs analysts led by Mark Delaney slashed their forecast for second-quarter Tesla vehicle deliveries to 365,000, far below consensus analyst forecasts of 405,000, according to FactSet. That would be an 18% decline from the same period last year, equating to by far the weakest quarterly deliveries growth since at least 2015, the extent of quarterly delivery data available on Tesla's investor relations website. It's another knock for Tesla as analysts warn this week's quarrel between Musk and the president, who Musk donated $288 million last year to help elect alongside other Republican candidates, could further weigh on Tesla, which is already grappling with declining brand sentiment on the left, historically the base for EV purchasers. This disagreement 'could potentially (temporarily) alienate multiple sides of the political spectrum," warned Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas in a Friday note. Tesla stock bounced back Friday, gaining 6% by early afternoon as part of a broader rally. That only recovered a small portion of Thursday's historic loss, as the Musk-led firm's share price is down 9% since Wednesday. The Musk-Trump division "clearly raises the degree of [near-term' uncertainty' for Tesla, according to TD Cowen analyst Itay Michaeli. Amid the kerfuffle, Trump threatened to cancel all of the federal government's contracts with Musk's portfolio of companies. That would likely impact the private aerospace and communications firm SpaceX far more than Tesla, which does not rely on government contracts for a significant portion of its revenues, but there is a way Trump could target Tesla's bottom line directly. Trump could restrict Tesla's ability to sell its automotive regulatory credits, according to Morningstar strategist Seth Goldstein, referring to the essentially free profit Tesla gets from selling its emissions credits to gas-powered automakers. That could dramatically reduce Tesla profits, as it reported $595 million in those regulatory credits compared to a $934 million net income during 2025's first quarter, meaning the credits directly contributed about two-thirds of its net profit. Since Musk announced his purchase of Twitter (now X) in 2022, Tesla stock has frequently faced downward pressure as its top decisionmaker and shareholder Musk became increasingly outspoken on politics to much controversy. Musk endorsed Trump in July and rose to become perhaps the most prominent and powerful figure in the early days of Trump's second administration, though the perceived impact of Musk's buddying up to Trump turned negative this year as sales globally for the automaker tumbled. In a further sign of fray in the relationship between Musk and Trump, the president has decided to sell his Tesla Model S, according to the New York Times. Tesla is expected to report its Q2 delivery numbers July 2.
Newsweek
11 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Stop Posting, and Start Legislating—A Message to the GOP from Gen Z
We remember. We remember the Paul Ryan years. We remember the lofty promises, the press conferences with tax cut charts, the selfies with Trump in the Roosevelt Room. And we remember the disappointment—because when Republicans controlled the House, Senate, and White House, barely anything bold got done. The border wasn't secured. Obamacare wasn't repealed. The swamp wasn't drained. The only thing that moved quickly was the clock—and opportunity slipped away. The bills stalled. The hearings dragged. The excuses piled up. And in the end, the status quo won. Again. A Make America Great Again (MAGA) baseball hat supporting President Donald Trump is pictured. A Make America Great Again (MAGA) baseball hat supporting President Donald Trump is here we are again. President Donald Trump is back in the Oval Office. Conservatives have momentum. The political stars are aligned like they haven't been in years. And yet? The same old D.C. inertia is setting in. Congress is snoozing through a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver real change. There's no sense of urgency. No fire. No strategy. Just more performative politics as usual. The difference is: this time, we're paying attention. Gen Z conservatives didn't get off the couch and show up to the ballot box to watch history repeat itself. We're tired of politicians who post more than they produce. House and Senate Republicans—stop acting like influencers and start acting like lawmakers. You don't get to post selfies with Elon Musk or tweet your appreciation to DOGE if you won't even codify basic spending cuts like the DOGE Act. You can't coast on vibes while the country's on fire. You were sent to legislate, not livestream. You weren't elected to trend on X—you were elected to fix what's broken. Brilyn Hollyhand and President Donald Trump are pictured at the University of Alabama on May 1, 2025. Brilyn Hollyhand and President Donald Trump are pictured at the University of Alabama on May 1, 2025. Photo Courtesy of the White House Despite facing one of the most pivotal moments in modern political history, Congress still isn't working full weeks. Many lawmakers fly in Tuesday afternoon and are wheels-up by Thursday. Three-day workweeks in the middle of a national crisis? That's not leadership—that's laziness. Meanwhile, families across America are grinding five, six, even seven days a week just to stay afloat. Blue-collar workers don't get to call it a week by Wednesday night. Neither should the people writing our laws. If our representatives can't even put in a full week's work during a make-or-break presidency, maybe they don't deserve the job. I will never forget my first ever dinner with a U.S. senator. It was my 12th birthday, and we were in D.C., eating downtown after I had recorded some episodes of my podcast on Capitol Hill. He leaned across the table to me and said, "Brilyn, the first thing you're going to learn in this business is that in politics there are work horses and show horses. The work horses bring home the pork for the state that sent them there. The show horses run to the TV cameras. Be a work horse, and only join a cable show when you have an accomplishment to tout." That stuck with me—and I'm reminded of it right now more than ever. Because D.C. is overflowing with show horses. They gallop into every hearing, prance onto every panel, and leave before the hard work begins. This isn't just about optics. This is about outcomes. Republicans were given a second chance to do what they promised the first time. It's not enough to give speeches about the border. Close it. It's not enough to post videos in front of the IRS. Defund it. It's not enough to warn about weaponized government. Dismantle it. This is the moment to act, not admire the problem. Stop playacting reform—deliver it. The base isn't looking for another firebrand quote; we're looking for a signed bill. We're not asking for the moon—we're demanding that you work. Get off the couch. Get off cable news. And get legislation on the president's desk. Defund the weaponized bureaucracy. Close the border. Cut the waste. Stop acting like your job is to coast to retirement and start acting like your job is to represent us. If you need inspiration, look outside the Beltway—real Americans are hustling every day without fanfare. Why can't Congress? Gen Z is watching. And we have receipts. We're the most online, most informed, and most fed-up generation to ever engage in politics. We can see through the talking points. We recognize when someone's all flash and no follow-through. And we're not afraid to call it out—publicly, loudly, and often. You can't gaslight us with headlines. You can't distract us with Instagram posts. We see the floor schedule. We track the votes. We know the difference between working and pretending. If the GOP wastes another Trump term, it won't just be a policy failure—it'll be a generational betrayal. My generation won't forget. We didn't come this far just to watch you do nothing, again. We showed up because we believe in a different future—one that isn't dictated by lobbyists, legacy institutions, and leadership that loves the camera more than the country. Clock in, Congress. Or clock out—and make room for someone who will. Brilyn Hollyhand is an 18-year-old political commentator, chairman of the Republican National Committee's Youth Advisory Council, and bestselling author of One Generation Away: Why Now is the Time to Restore American Freedom. For more of his hot takes you can follow him on socials @BrilynHollyhand or visit The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
