To Help America Achieve Healing, Trump Needs “more than the wisdom of Solomon”: Catholic Bishop in Africa

Oyo, 06 November, 2024 / 11:51 PM

Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States of America (U.S.), will need “more than” Solomon’s wisdom to facilitate healing among Americans following what has been described as a divisive election.

In an interview with ACI Africa on Wednesday, November 6, the day Trump’s victory was confirmed, Bishop Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo in Nigeria weighed in on the U.S. President-elect’s pledge to help heal America during his acceptance speech early November 6, hours before his re-election was made official.  

“This was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time ... There’s never been anything like this in this country, and maybe beyond,” Mr. Trump said in Florida, and added, “And now it’s going to reach a new level of importance because we’re going to help our country heal.”

In the interview, Bishop Badejo said, “The new American President just spoke of helping America to heal. That is really understated in America, which was deeply polarized by the rhetorics and conduct towards the elections.”

“President Trump needs an update of character, of rhetorics and more than the wisdom of Solomon to be a gentleman president to achieve that healing,” the Local Ordinary of Oyo Diocese who doubles as the President of the Pan African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS), an entity of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), said.

Alluding to the challenging task the U.S. President-elect has in his promise to facilitate the realization of healing, he said, “In fact, the entire world needs healing and America has a big role to play in that. From Ukraine to Gaza, from Sudan to Yemen, the entire humanity needs a major intervention for peace.”

The member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication since his appointment in December 2021 went on to recall Pope Francis’ September call on American Catholics to vote for a “lesser evil” between Trump and the Democratic Party Presidential candidate, Kamala Harris.

Bishop Badejo said, “Pope Francis was right to the extent that every election in the world has always been about choosing the lesser evil. No perfect candidate has ever emerged anywhere, and America has chosen its ‘lesser evil.’”.

“Good luck to America and best wishes to the entire world since so much depends on the United States, universally,” the Nigerian Catholic Bishop said during the November 6 interview, and added, “I pray now that Divine Providence steps in now, real strong.”

Mr. Trump won his re-election bid for president, defeating Democratic opponent Vice President Kamala Harris. He has become the first president in nearly 130 years to secure a non-consecutive White House victory. 

Multiple news networks called the race for the Republican president-elect on Wednesday morning. Fox News had called the race for Trump hours earlier.

Early Wednesday morning Trump had posted a 276-219 lead in the Electoral College over Harris as well as a 5 million lead in the popular vote.