Scottish Catholic Observer

Fr Tony O’Neill, who left Glasgow aged 25 to become a lay brother in Michigan, the US in 1989, also believes that there are many social issues Mr Trump has raised which don’t align with Church teaching.

Fr O’Neill, 55, who was ordained a diocesan priest after studying at St Paul’s seminary in Minnesota in 2011, said: “You never really find anyone attacking a politician over in America from the Church so I should tread carefully but I guess what I would say is that he’s a bit of a contradiction the fact that he is pro-life politician, which sadly is so rare to come across.

“The main issue that people have with him over here would be some of Mr Trump’s behaviour around immigration, which the Church in America doesn’t condone.

“Our own archbishop recently took a stance against that last month when he [Donald Trump] was separating children from their parents and thanks be to God that has now been reversed.”

Fr O’Neill, who serves as parish priest at Our Lady of the Lake Church, Michigan, added: “Of course there are social teachings that the Church will always stand up for here but principally we are messengers of the Gospel and sometimes it can be a fine line between both.

“Ultimately it’s our duty to say to parishioners here’s what the good is and promote the Church’s role within politics.”

Protests against Mr Trump are set to take place next week across the UK, including in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Fr O’Neill said: “People will protest and that is their civic right but the facts are he might not even see or here about them if he is in a helicopter to and from his destinations or golf courses.”

President Trump is poised to meet the Queen and Prime Minster Theresa May in England on Thursday before heading north to Scotland on Friday for the rest of the weekend.

Mr Trump, who owns two golf courses in Aberdeen and Ayrshire, is expected to be the focal point of a major security operation and Scottish Government justice secretary Humza Yousaf has urged people protesting during Donald Trump’s visit to Scotland to do so ‘safely and peacefully.’

A spokesman for Justice and Peace Scotland—which advises the Scottish Bishops’ Conference in matters relating to social justice, international peace and human rights—said: “President Trump’s mantra is to ‘Make America Great Again.’ True greatness is in welcoming the stranger in need of protection.

“True greatness is promoting the rights and wellbeing of all to respect their inherent dignity. True greatness is upholding justice for all, continuing the struggle against racism, poverty, and discrimination. True greatness comes from the Lord who exults the poor and raises up the lowly. We too wish to see America made truly great again.”

Police Scotland said the presidential visit would require a ‘significant policing operation, involving thousands of officers and specialist resources.’

The UK Government has agreed to pay for up to £5 million of policing costs for the visit to Scotland.

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