At Pope Francis’ funeral, Cardinal Giovanni Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, referenced the late pontiff’s strong criticism of former President Donald Trump. Trump, who attended the funeral with First Lady Melania Trump in St. Peter’s Square alongside nearly 200,000 other attendees, faced online criticism for wearing a blue suit instead of the traditional dark attire, unlike Melania who wore a black veil and outfit. In his homily, Cardinal Re echoed Pope Francis’ frequent message of peace and unity, particularly emphasizing the pontiff’s call to “Build bridges, not walls.”
This echoed Francis’ 2016 condemnation of Trump’s proposed border wall, which he had described as “not Christian,” a stance that led to Francis voicing concerns over Trump’s immigration policies during his second term.
The pope had warned that the forcible deportation of migrants threatened their dignity and could lead to disastrous outcomes. Francis’ remarks emphasized that efforts based on force, rather than respecting human dignity, would ultimately fail.
Following the pope’s death, Trump praised him as a “good man” who “worked hard” and “loved the world,” and ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff in his honor.
