On Sunday, President Donald Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV for the U.S.-born Roman Catholic leader’s remarks concerning the U.S. involvement in the Iran conflict.
The president stated he does not “want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States since I’m executing exactly what I was elected to do, IN A LANDSLIDE,” in a post on Truth Social.
Trump associated the pope’s election with his return to the presidency.
“Leo ought to be grateful because, as everyone knows, he was a surprising choice,” Trump remarked. “He was not included on any Pope list, and he was chosen by the Church solely because he is an American, believing that would be the best way to manage President Donald J. Trump. Without my presence in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
Trump described Leo as “Soft on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons, doesn’t sit right with me, nor does the fact that he mingles with Obama supporters like David Axelrod, a LOSER from the Left, who is among those advocating for the arrest of churchgoers and clerics,” referencing a recent meeting between the pope and the former aide to President Barack Obama.
Leo, the first U.S.-born pope from Chicago, has denounced Trump’s military actions in Iran.
“Enough with idolizing self and wealth! Enough with displays of power! Enough with warfare! True strength lies in serving life,” Leo stated on Saturday, as reported by CBS News.
The pope also remarked it was “truly unacceptable” for Trump to issue a recent threat stating he would annihilate “an entire civilization” in Iran.
Leo reacted to Trump’s comments on Monday, asserting, “I will persist in vocally opposing warfare, striving to foster peace, encouraging dialogue and multilateral relations among nations to seek fair resolutions to issues.”
He noted he prefers not to “engage in a debate” with Trump and does not view his role as “being politically inclined.”
“Too many people are suffering across the globe today,” Leo conveyed to Reuters while boarding a flight to Algiers as he commenced a 10-day journey across four African nations. “Too many innocent lives are being lost. I believe someone must stand up and advocate for a better alternative.”
Leo utilized his Easter message to advocate for peace.
“Let those armed put down their weapons! Let those who possess the authority to wage wars opt for peace! Not a peace enforced by violence, but one achieved through conversation! Not with a wish to dominate others, but to meet them!” he declared.
Leo and other church officials have also frequently shown strong dissent regarding Trump’s immigration policies on the home front.
The pontiff supported a November statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, who expressed their “disturbance at the atmosphere of fear and anxiety among our people about profiling and immigration enforcement.”
“We, the bishops, call for a significant reform of our country’s immigration laws and practices,” the bishops articulated. “Human dignity and national security do not have to clash. Both can coexist if individuals of goodwill collaborate.”
