Other threats
Besides threatening to destroy a whole civilization, Trump has made other threats.
On April 1, he said: “We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong,” if they did not accept his demands.
On April 7, he warned that if the strait remained blocked, every bridge in Iran would be “decimated” and every power plant would be “burning, exploding, and never to be used again.”
Iran’s closure of the strait — through which 20 percent of the world’s oil, gas and fertilizer shipments pass — has caused gasoline and food prices in the United States and elsewhere to rise and sent the global economy into a crisis. This put Trump’s Republican Party at greater risk of losing in November’s midterm elections. He told Iran to “open the f****** strait” or face “hell unleashed” and be “hit with a force that has never been seen before.”
To make matters worse, he posted an image of himself as Jesus healing a man on a hospital bed surrounded by other white Americans in different professions and American symbols. Many Christians worldwide were gravely offended and expressed shock and disappointment, said pastor Mark Burns, a spiritual adviser of Trump.
Recent polls indicate that many Catholics in the US, formerly strong Trump supporters, are distancing themselves from him. His approval rating among them recently dropped to 48 percent.
Three prominent US archbishops — Blase Cupich of Chicago, Robert McElroy of Washington, D.C., and Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey — have said America’s immoral actions were “destroying international relations and plunging the world into incalculable suffering. Our country’s moral role in confronting evil around the world, sustaining the right to life and human dignity, and supporting religious liberty are all under examination.” Strong words echoed by many world leaders who have refused to join the US-Israel war on Iran.
As of this writing, Pope Leo is on a historic, 11-day apostolic journey to Africa — the longest trip of his young pontificate so far. In Muslim-majority Algeria, he said he came as a “pilgrim of peace.”
He delivered a heartfelt message centered on interfaith harmony, justice and reconciliation. He emphasized that true peace is not merely the absence of conflict but an expression of justice and dignity. He called for “interfaith fraternity” and no more wars.
In Cameroon, he addressed the country’s internal conflict, citing its “human cost.” He spoke about “profound suffering” from violence, noting that “lives have been lost, families displaced, children deprived of schooling and young people no longer see a future.” He called for breaking the “chains of corruption,” which he said “disfigures authority and strips it of its credibility,” urging leaders to act as “bridges, never as sources of division.”
In the conflict-ridden northwest region, he denounced a “handful of tyrants” who are “ravaging the world” while emphasizing that it is held together by a “multitude of supportive brothers and sisters.”
All these messages can be taken to heart in the Philippines, too./PN
