Pope Leo has addressed the US for first time with a bold message on the same day Donald Trump held a $45 million military parade.
On Saturday (June 14), President Donald Trump celebrated his 79th birthday party with a huge historic military parade through Washington, DC.
The power of the military went on full display in the parade, with tanks and aircrafts spanning the decades as well as parachuters from the sky and more than 6,000 uniformed soldiers in period consumes patrolling through the capital in the first of its kind since the end of the Gulf War in 1991.
Now, Pope Leo XIV addressed the nation in a rather unusual address – from the Chicago White Sox stadium – with a message that appears to snub the $45 million event.
The POTUS celebrated the military on his 79th birthday with a huge parade (Doug Mills – Pool/Getty Images)
Supporters of the head of the Roman Catholic Church gathered at the Rate Field baseball stadium the pope once attended as a South Side native and White Sox fan to hear his first message to North America.
The pre-recorded message from the Vatican was intended to celebrate his roots in Chicago and to offer words of comfort to young people.
Pope Leo acknowledged the adversity youngsters have faced during and since the Covid-19 pandemic, saying it inspired ‘moments of anxiety, of loneliness’ and ‘depression and sadness’.
He encouraged those from the field to attend local parishes where they can ‘discover the love of god is truly healing’.
The pope delivered a message to his home stadium from the Vatican (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“You are the promise of hope for so many of us. The world looks to you … we need you,” he said.
Then, in what some might interpret as a dig at the president’s military parade, he added: “We have to look beyond our egotistical ways to promote hope.
“That light … on the horizon is not easy to see and yet as we grow in our unity, we can discover that light growing brighter and brighter and we can become that message of hope to promote peace and unity throughout the world,” Leo added.
He concluded by encouraging people to ‘do something in our own lives to serve one another’.
“In that service to others … we may find the true meaning in our life,” he said.
Dozens packed into the stadium to hear Pope Leo’s first address to Chicago (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The message of hope comes in direct contrast to the POTUS’ eight-minute-long speech where he boasted of the US army’s military prowess to the alleged 250,000-strong crowd.
Trump said in part: “Every other country celebrates their victories. It’s about time America did too.
“We’re the hottest country in the world right now,” he continued. “If you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you.”
The event was also hit by protesters who deliberately organized a clash with the celebration.
The ‘No Kings’ demonstrators said they did so to ‘draw a clear contrast between our people-powered movement and the costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade in Washington’.
