Rest in Peace
Side-by-side: Pope Francis’ guide to life and President Trump’s Easter message
As the scramble for attention and the revenue that can accompany it grows evermore intense, the temptation for journalists to fertilize their reporting with their own thoughts, opinions and interpretations has mushroomed with it.
Sometimes, however, it’s better for us to get out of the way and let newsmakers speak for themselves. The death of Pope Francis and Donald Trump’s Easter message are such a moment.
Francis no longer is preaching to crowds, at least audibly, but one summary of how he sought to live his life can be found in Chapter 5 of the Christian Bible’s Gospel of Matthew, verses 3-12.
Called the Beatitudes, it is an account of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
President Trump was raised in the Presbyterian church and calls himself a nondenominational Christian. Here is his Easter message, delivered on Truth Social six minutes after he and First Lady Melania had wished everyone a “day of Peace and Joy for all who celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ”:
“Happy Easter to all, including the Radical Left lunatics who are fighting and scheming so hard to bring Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous prisoners. the Mentally Insane, and well known MS-13 Gang Members and Wife Beaters, back into our Country. Happy Easter also to the WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Judges and Law Enforcement Officials who are allowing this sinister attack on our Nation to continue, an attack so violent that it will never be forgotten! Sleepy Joe Biden purposefully allowed Millions of CRIMINALS to enter our Country, totally unvetted and unchecked, through an Open Borders Policy that will go down in history as the single most calamitous act ever perpetrated on America. He was, by far, our WORST and most Incompetent President, a man who had absolutely no idea what he was doing — but to him, and to the man that manipulated the Auto Pen (perhaps our REAL President!), and to all of the people who CHEATED in the 2020 Presidential Election in order to get this highly destructive Moron Elected, I wish you, with great love, sincerity and affection, a very Happy Easter!!!”
The President’s farewell to the Pope was more succinct: “Rest in Peace, Pope Francis.”
There is, so far, no record of a response from Pope Francis.