Catholic LGBT Leaders Condemn Trump’s Attacks on Pope Leo XIV

Catholic LGBT leaders have publicly responded to Donald Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV. As the Washington Blade reports , some of the sharpest criticism came from New Ways Ministry Executive Director Francis DeBernardo and DignityUSA Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke.

DeBernardo described Trump’s remarks as another example of political bullying and said this strategy would backfire on the president himself. In his view, secular power does not threaten the papacy, and moral authority and compassion are stronger than demonstrative aggression.

Duddy-Burke, for her part, said Trump has shown throughout both of his presidencies that he does not understand religious ethics grounded in human dignity and the common good. She also said Pope Leo’s popularity appears to wound Trump’s ego and called that approach imperialistic.

The Washington Blade also quoted Juan Carlos Cruz, a gay Chilean man close to Pope Francis and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. Cruz said Trump has no right to criticize the pope, whom he regards as a genuine peacemaker.

In its roundup , New Ways Ministry notes that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation also interviewed theologian Miguel Díaz, a former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. As the article recounts, Díaz called Trump’s comments shameful and linked them to “global indifference” and the weaponization of religion for political ends.