Pope Leo, White House and Latin American tussles and US raids on immigrants

 
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday said he has asked Pope Leo XIV to help maintain peace in the South American country.

Maduro’s comments come as the United States military continues to strike alleged drug-carrying boats in the waters off Venezuela in what President Donald Trump has declared an “armed conflict” with cartels. Maduro said he sought Leo’s help in a letter. “I have great faith that Pope Leo, as I stated in the letter I sent him, will help Venezuela preserve and achieve peace and stability,” Maduro said during his weekly show on state television.
Maduro did not provide details of the letter. His government’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for a copy of the document. The U.S. military has carried four deadly strikes in the Caribbean since last month. The latest killed four people on Friday.

The Trump administration has told lawmakers he was treating drug traffickers as unlawful combatants and military force was required to combat them. That assertion of presidential war powers sets the stage for expanded action and raises questions about how far the administration will go without sign-off from Congress. Maduro has repeatedly said the U.S. military’s actions are designed to oust him.

President Maduro said that despite the long history of conflict between the People's Republic of China and the Vatican State, he maintained that President Jinping expressed himself in a respectful and affectionate manner when referring to Pope Francis, which shows an openness in interreligious and diplomatic dialogue.

He also emphasized that, although Pope Francis has died, his legacy persists in the hearts of authentic Christians. “Today more than ever, Pope Francis lives in the heartbeat of the Christians of Christ, the Christians of the People,” he said.

Videos surfaced in social media of Pope Leo XIV in the 2005 World Series’ Game 1 between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros, namely, a series between good and evil. The White House has said Donald Trump was elected based on his many promises, including to deport criminal illegal aliens.

One of the letters given to the pope on Wednesday, shared with Reuters, described a family with two members who did not have legal permission to stay in the U.S. and who were afraid to leave the house for fear of deportation.

"I believe the Pope should speak out openly against the raids and the unfair treatment the community is experiencing," read the letter, written in Spanish.

Leo also met privately with a group of about 100 American Catholics involved in ministry with migrants on Tuesday evening, thanking them for their work.