New Pope Criticized JD Vance and Trump Before Becoming Pope

Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, criticized Cardinal Vance for his faith interpretation and strict immigration policies, retweeting an op-ed under his Rome account.

POLITICO cannot verify the authenticity of an account due to the Vatican's press office, US embassy, Midwestern Augustinians, and Chicago and Peru dioceses' refusal to comment or respond.

The account criticized Trump's meeting with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and an op-ed by Catholic Bishop Evelio Menjivar detailing the hardships faced by migrants deported to El Salvador.

“Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed?” the op-ed Cardinal Robert Prevost reposted reads.

In a more pointed example, the account posted an opinion piece from the National Catholic Reporter, a liberal-leaning Catholic newspaper, in February with the exact title "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others" without altering or commenting on the quotation.