Pope Francis is not expected to veto President Donald Trump's choice of a high-profile critic of his papacy as the next U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, according to two senior Vatican officials, despite misgivings about his stance on many issues.

Vásquez was most recently selected by Francis to oversee the Diocese of Tyler, also in Texas, after he dismissed its former bishop, Joseph Strickland, who had openly accused the pope of being a heretic and called into question the validity of his leadership.

Pope Francis on Monday offered well-wishes to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in a traditional message sent ahead of the presidential inauguration ceremony in Washington.

The Catholics surrounding Trump’s second term are best represented by his vice president, JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism and embraced family-oriented and conservative policies, echoing a general trend of young U.S. Catholic men shifting rightward.

Francis previously said that Trump cannot be a Christian if he plans to build a wall to keep migrants from Mexico out.

The pope’s comments provided the latest indication of a potential rekindling of frictions between the Vatican and the next Trump White House.

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis said Donald Trump’s plans to impose mass deportations of immigrants would be a “disgrace,” as he weighed in on the incoming U.S. president’s pledges nearly a decade after calling him “not Christian” for wanting to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

Pope Francis said Donald Trump’s plans to impose mass deportations of immigrants would be a “disgrace,” as he weighed in on the incoming U.S. president’s pledges nearly a decade after calling

Pope Francis extended his prayers and "cordial greetings" to President-elect Trump ahead of his inaugural ceremony Monday morning.

The Holy Father expressed hope that under Trump’s leadership, the American people would “prosper and always strive to build a more just society.”

Pope Francis has made his thoughts on President-elect Donald Trump’s immigrant deportation plans abundantly clear, dubbing them a “disgrace” in an interview Sunday. Whilst appearing on Italian television show Che Tempo Che Fa,