Pope Reflects on American Identity
Pope Leo XIV, the first US pontiff, said he holds "great love" for his home country's principles but stressed he "just happens to be American."
In an interview with NBC on the sidelines of a prayer event in Castel Gandolfo, Leo discussed his family history. He noted his grandparents were immigrants and that on his mother's side, "we have people who were both slaves and slave owners."
Mission as Universal Pastor
Asked about the importance of his American identity, Leo responded: "I think of myself more as the pope who happens to be American. Not to belittle what it means to be an American. I have great love for America but I understand my mission as having a very important dimension, which is precisely being pastor of a universal church and having a voice and an opportunity to speak to people throughout the world."
He praised US principles: "the sense of freedom, the sense of opportunity, the sense of having invited for generations people from around the world to be part of America." Having grown up in the US and spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, Leo said he continues to hold those principles.
Criticism of Trump Policies
Since his election in May last year, the 70-year-old pontiff has repeatedly spoken up for migrants and called Trump's immigration policies "inhuman." Relations with the Trump administration worsened after he condemned the US-Israeli war against Iran.
In his first key address to the US on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Leo praised the country's history of welcoming migrants while urging Americans to live up to the ideals of the declaration, seen as another rebuke to Trump.
He marked 4 July with a brief visit to Lampedusa, a main entry point for migrants crossing from North Africa.
Leo has yet to accept Trump's invitation to the White House, extended by Vice-President JD Vance. He told NBC no trip has been planned but he hopes to visit the US soon.
