President Donald Trump’s border czar sent a strongly worded message to the Vatican this week after Pope Leo XIV criticized the Iran war and the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. Speaking to Newsmax in an interview that aired Tuesday, Tom Homan said he was “disappointed” in the Catholic church and offered to “educate” faith leaders who opposed Trump’s policies. “Well, it’s unacceptable, and I’ve called the pope out before,” Homan explained. “I’m a lifelong Catholic ... I’ve spent my whole life in the Catholic church, but I’m disappointed that they want to weigh in on political issues like this. There are enough problems with the Catholic church — and I know because I’m a member of the Catholic church — that they need to fix and concentrate on and leave politics alone.” “I wish they would sit down and let me educate them on open borders,” he continued. “When President Trump has illegal immigration down 97%, how many women aren’t being raped by the cartels? How many children aren’t dying making that journey? How many pounds of fentanyl aren’t killing Americans? How many women and children aren’t being sex trafficked? Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime.”Watch Tom Homan’s Newsmax interview below. His comments on the Catholic church begin around the 5:22 mark. Homan was responding to a “60 Minutes” segment that aired Sunday in which three high-ranking Catholic cardinals denounced the joint military operation between the U.S. and Israel. Among those interviewed was Cardinal Joseph Tobin of New Jersey, who in January deemed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a “lawless organization” after the fatal shootings of Minneapolis residents Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of ICE officers. In his Newsmax interview, Homan said the cardinals were “talking from a position of not knowing what I know, what happens behind the scenes on illegal immigration.”“I’m disappointed they’re taking this position,” he added. Trump has drawn the ire of many Catholics in recent days after calling Pope Leo XIV “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” in a Truth Social post. In a follow-up interview with NBC News, the president declared, “I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo,” and said he didn’t think the Catholic church’s first U.S.-born pontiff was “doing a very good job.” That same day, Trump also posted what appeared to be an AI-generated image of himself depicted as Jesus Christ ― or someone very much like Christ, at least ― on Truth Social. After officials on both sides of the political aisle condemned the image as “blasphemous,” the president or his team quietly deleted it. Pope Leo XIV, however, has since pledged to “continue to speak out loudly against war,” noting he has “no fear of the Trump administration.”The NewsCan't Wait.Neither Can We.Your SupportFuelsOur MissionYour SupportFuelsOur MissionSupport HuffPostMisinformation spreads fast. Fact-based reporting is how we fight back. Your membership funds the reporters holding power accountable every single day. Join HuffPost and be part of our mission.We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.“Our fierce, independent reporting and unvarnished perspective hold power to account and inform millions of readers. Please support this hard-hitting journalism.”Whitney SnyderEditor-in-Chief HuffPostSupport $5/monthSilverMonthly recurring supporter-only emailFewer requests for financial supportSupport $10/monthGoldEverything in the Silver TierAd-free access on the HuffPost website OR HuffPost appsSay goodbye to annoying video interruptions while you read. No more autoplay videos.Support $20/monthPlatinumEverything in the Gold TierAd-free access on the HuffPost website AND HuffPost appsEarly access to new featuresMembership to Platinum Club focus groupMake a One Time ContributionJoin HuffPostAlready a member? Log in to hide these messages.Close