PoliticsDonald Trump Slammed by Palm Beach Bishop Over Pope Leo Attacks During Sunday Mass in Mar-a-Lago Neighborhood
Donald Trump faced criticism from a Palm Beach bishop during Sunday Mass.
April 22 2026, Published 6:29 a.m. ET
The clash between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV has taken a dramatic turn closer to home, with a Palm Beach bishop delivering a public rebuke just miles from Mar-a-Lago.
During Sunday Mass, Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez issued a sharply worded statement rejecting Trump’s recent attacks on the pope, calling them “disrespectful and violent.”
A Lecture From the Pulpit
The bishop defended Pope Leo XIV and condemned the president’s remarks.
“The Diocese of Palm Beach stands firm with our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, and strongly rejects the disrespectful and violent attacks that Donald J. Trump has directed against the Holy Father,” the statement read.
“These attacks also constitute a grave violation of the religious freedom enshrined in the Constitution of the United States and, as such, harm the rights of the American Catholic faithful,” it continued.
The Diocese of Palm Beach issued a strong rebuke near Mar-a-Lago.
Rodríguez urged parishioners to “pray for the safety of the Holy Father,” bringing a spiritual dimension to what has become a public political conflict.
The location adds another layer of tension. The Diocese of Palm Beach sits roughly 13 miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
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How the Feud Escalated
The feud escalated when Donald Trump publicly attacked the pope on social media.
Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo has intensified in recent weeks, including a lengthy Truth Social post in which he labeled the pontiff “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” He also suggested Leo’s rise to the papacy was tied to his American identity and shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus, which he later deleted.
The pope, for his part, has signaled he is not interested in a prolonged back-and-forth, telling reporters it is not in his “interest” to engage directly in a feud. Still, he has made clear he will continue to “speak loudly” on issues he views as central to the Gospel.
When Religious Leaders Enter the Arena
Religious leaders have long been vocal on political figures and debates.
Moments like this are not without precedent. Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal, The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, noted that religious leaders have long weighed in on political figures and policy debates.
“Religious leaders of various traditions have a long record of addressing policy, politics, and specific politicians, including sitting presidents,” Hirschfield said, pointing to notable pairs: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Lyndon B. Johnson, Jerry Falwell and President Jimmy Carter, and Ellie Wiesel and President Ronald Reagan.
“Most had little direct impact on the presidents they addressed, and in the case of Falwell/Carter may have actually caused the divide to widen as each party further dug in to their already held positions,” Hirschfield noted.
