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Trump military parade and Pope Leo XIV's virtual Chicago appearance set for same time
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Preparations are underway for the military parade for the Army's 250th anniversary in D.C. — an event also scheduled on President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. With tanks, soldiers and a live broadcast — only divine intervention itself could upstage the June 14 event.
Or, perhaps, someone divinely ordained?
Pope Leo XIV has a scheduled video message at the Chicago mass, his hometown, that is slotted for the same day and time as the Trump-promoted military parade and will be streamed online. The message is directed toward young people of the world and is almost entirely sold out, according to the page on Ticketmaster.
His most recent speech during a Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square criticized political nationalism as he urged for peace and the breaking down of barriers between neighbors.
'Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice, for 'security' zones separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms,' Leo said, according to reports by the Associated Press.
Pope Leo criticizes political nationalism and prays for reconciliation and dialogue
Pope Leo, who made history after becoming the first pope from the U.S., has previously disagreed with Trump and Vice President JD Vance on social media through posts published during his time as a cardinal.
Vance, a Catholic convert, suggested the order in which people should love each other during a Fox News interview. Vance referenced a Christian belief that 'that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world.'
Pope Leo — then still Prevost — tweeted the headline of a column in the National Catholic Reporter entitled 'JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others,'
Another issue that drew comment from Leo during his time as cardinal was the issue of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an El Salvador immigrant who unlawfully entered the U.S., was granted protected status, due to gang persecution in his home country, and was raising three children with his wife before he was deported in March.
After adamantly declaring Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang, despite the claim not being proven in a court of law, the Trump administration whisked him off to a notorious El Salvador prison. They later admitted it was an 'administrative error' but quickly rescinded that stance and refused to return him to the U.S. The issue went all the way to the Supreme Court who agreed with a lower court's ruling that the administration needed to 'facilitate' Abrego Garcia's return.
During a meeting with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador said it was 'preposterous' to return Abrego Garcia.
Following the El Salvador president's comments, Pope Leo — who at the time was still Cardinal Robert Prevost — reposted a link to an article by a bishop, who was born in El Salvador, asking, 'Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?'
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in the US, charged with human smuggling as attorneys vow ongoing fight
It wasn't until June 6 that the Trump administration announced they would return Abrego Garcia — only to prosecute him on criminal charges.
While Leo has not directly mentioned Trump by name, his messages of peace, unity and the breaking down of barriers between neighbors seem to counter Trump's stance on immigration and ongoing wars across seas.
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