An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-15
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Sharon Keogan (IND), Industrial and Commercial Panel

Today I wish to speak about the recent comments made by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, directed at Pope Leo. In an increasingly volatile global moment, words spoken by leaders matter. When those words dismiss, denigrate or threaten entire peoples, religions or institutions, they do real damage, not just diplomatically but morally. As some Members may know, it would be an understatement to say that I am no admirer of the Iranian regime. It is a criminal regime and it deserves to be challenged, opposed and ultimately dismantled, but to call for the destruction of the entire Iranian civilisation is something all together different. These are callous and small-minded words. The Iranian people themselves and their beautiful, millenia-old civilisation deserve freedom, dignity and respect. We must always be clear about this distinction.
The same applies to the Catholic Church. Whatever one's personal belief or whatever criticisms may be made, it is an undeniable historical fact that the Catholic Church is a millenia-old pillar of European civilisation. Through its art and architecture, through the preservation and development of learning during Europe's darkest centuries, and through the safeguarding and renewal of classical Greek and Roman philosophy in which our own Irish saints and scholars played a key role, the Catholic Church helped to shape the civilisation we inhabit today. Without it, European civilisation as we know it would not be recognisable today. To attack the Pope in such a crude and unserious manner is an attack not just on a religious leader, itself unacceptable when not done in a considered manner, but on our shared civilisation inheritance.
Finally, I want to place on record my support for Pope Leo and also for Giorgia Meloni and other leaders who have stood by him. They have acted with dignity. As for President Trump, I can only say I am deeply disappointed.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-15