Pope asks God to 'open borders, breakdown barriers' during papal mass
June 8 (UPI) -- Pope Leo asked God to "open borders, break down walls and dispel hatred," during Sunday mass with tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square Sunday.
The pontiff has been critical of nationalist political movements and the "exclusionary mindset" they convey, but did not name a specific country or government.
"There is no room for prejudice , for 'security zones' separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging in political nationalisms," the pope said during the mass.
Leo added that the church "must open the borders between peoples and break down the barriers between class and race."
"People must move beyond our fear of those who are different," he continued, and said the Holy Spirit "breaks down barriers and tears down the walls of indifference and hatred."
While the pontiff did not mention President Donald Trump by name, he has been critical of his administration and policies.
Prior to ascending to pope in May, Leo, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, routinely posted negative comments about Trump and vice-president JD Vance on social media. The Prevost X account was deactivated shortly after he became pope.
Prior to Leo, pope Francis, who died earlier this year, was also critical of Trump.
"A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not a Christian," Francis said about Trump when asked about him in 2016.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Poland's Tusk to call vote of confidence after election setback
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is to call a vote of confidence in parliament on Wednesday. The vote comes days after conservative nationalist Karol Nawrocki won the country's presidential election. Tusk expects a tough conflict with the new president, who was supported by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party. The confidence vote, expected at 10 am (0800 GMT), is an attempt to cement his support among his pro-European centrist coalition. Tusk, a former president of the European Council, has led Poland since the end of 2023. His government has sought to reverse the damage to the rule of law caused by the PiS government's judicial reforms between 2015 and 2023. The outgoing president, Andrzej Duda, has blocked many bills brought forward by the Tusk government. Nawrocki is likely do the same after taking office on August 6, and could take an even harder line. The 42-year-old historian is not a member of any party, but he owes his rise to PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, a political arch-enemy of Tusk. Nawrocki said last week that Tusk could expect "strong resistance from the presidential palace."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Call for supporters' trusts to be recognised by law
A football supporters' trust leading a drive for fans to "play a meaningful part in decision making at their clubs" has been backed by a national campaign group. Fair Game has joined a coalition of 22 fan groups, led by Northampton Town Supporters Trust who are calling on the government to ensure "the unique status of trusts to be recognised and enshrined in law" as part of its Trusts First campaign. Niall Couper, chief executive of Fair Game, said the campaign was "about giving those communities a real voice in the game they love" The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has been approached for comment. The coalition of clubs, from all levels of the English game, intends to lobby government to "guarantee primacy for Trusts and other democratically-constituted supporter groups" in the forthcoming Football Governance Bill. The legislation, which is passing through parliament after being reintroduced by the Labour government in October, will hand power to a body independent from government and football authorities to oversee clubs in England's top five divisions. The Trusts First group includes supporters' trusts from Barnsley, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Bradford City, Doncaster Rovers, Exeter City, Fulham, Leicester City, Leyton Orient, Manchester United, Morecambe, Northampton Town, Plymouth Argyle, Reading, Scunthorpe United, Southend United, Swansea City, Swindon Town, Torquay United and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Mr Couper said: "It's time to ensure that meaningful fan engagement isn't just a slogan, but a reality." Andy Roberts, the chair of the Northampton Town Supporters' Trust, said: "The trust movement was founded in 1992, the year the Premier League was introduced, yet many fans up and down the country continue to be disenfranchised and marginalised by club owners pursuing their own vested interests. "We now have a clear opportunity to get all mandated supporter groups front and centre of fan engagement, not just those who are cherry picked by clubs to sit on their panels and boards. "We feel this should form part of the legislation and not be left to the discretion of the Independent Football Regulator." Fair Game said a meeting will be held with democratically-elected supporter groups next week to hear their concerns for the future of football first hand. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Government's football regulator chair choice faces inquiry NTFC Supporters' Trust Fair Game
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Bloomberg
EU Aims for US Trade Talks to Extend Past Trump's July Deadline
The European Union believes trade negotiations with the US to extend beyond President Donald Trump's July 9 deadline, even as the speed of the talks has increased over the past week. The EU sees reaching an agreement on the principles of a deal by July 9 as a best-case scenario, which would allow further talks to work out the details, according to people familiar with the matter. The US is expected to respond to the latest round of negotiations in the coming days and provide clarity on the next steps.
