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Pope Leo rejects reporter's question about President Trump's use of the National Guard in his hometown
By Alexander Hall
Published October 07, 2025
Pope Leo XIV rebuked a reporter who asked him for comment on President Donald Trump sending troops to crack down on crime in Chicago.
The first National Guard troops sent to Chicago reportedly arrived on Tuesday at an Army training center outside the city.
Illinois and Chicago elected officials have been adamant that they do not want the National Guard patrolling the streets in their city. Gov. Pritzker filed a lawsuit arguing that the deployment of troops to Chicago without the consent of local leaders is illegal and unconstitutional.
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Pope Leo XIV was born and raised in Chicago. (Photo by Francesco Sforza - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
Pope Leo, who was born and raised in Chicago, was approached by a reporter on Tuesday about Trump sending the National Guard to the city.
"President Trump has sent 400 National Guard troops to your city, Chicago against-," the reporter said before Pope Leo interjected.
"Yes. I prefer not to comment at this time about choices made, political choices within the United States," he said.
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy 400 Texas National Guard troops to Illinois and Oregon. (Getty Images)
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church recently faced backlash for his candid comments juxtaposing the pro-life cause with other political debates in the United States.
Last week, he responded to a question from EWTN News by claiming, "Someone who says ‘I’m against abortion’ but says ‘I’m in favor of the death penalty’ is not really pro-life. Someone who says ‘I’m against abortion, but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States,’ I don’t know if that’s pro-life."
Trump’s model of deploying the national guard to crackdown on crime was touted as a success by Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, who had initially expressed concern.
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Demonstrators march through downtown protesting the agenda of the Trump administration on Sept. 30, 2025, in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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