U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV pushed back Monday on President Donald Trump’s broadside against him over the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, telling reporters that the Vatican’s appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted within the Gospel, and that he doesn’t fear the Trump administration.
“To place my message on the identical plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I believe will not be understanding what the message of the Gospel is,” Leo told The Associated Press aboard the papal plane en path to Algeria. “And I’m sorry to listen to that but I’ll proceed on what I imagine is the mission of the church on this planet today.”
History’s first U.S.-born pope stressed that he was not making a direct attack against Trump or anyone else along with his general appeal for peace and criticisms of the “delusion of omnipotence” that’s fueling the Iran war and other conflicts all over the world.
“I is not going to enter into debate. The things that I say are definitely not meant as attacks on anyone. The message of the Gospel could be very clear: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’” Leo said.
“I is not going to shrink back from announcing the message of the Gospel and welcoming all people to look for tactics of constructing bridges of peace and reconciliation, and on the lookout for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible.”
Chatting with other reporters, he added: “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly concerning the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for.’’
“We aren’t politicians. We don’t have a look at foreign policy from the identical perspective that he could have,’’ the pope said, adding, “I’ll proceed to talk out strongly against war, in search of to advertise peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism amongst states to search out solutions to problems.
“Too many persons are suffering today, too many innocent people have been killed, and I imagine someone must arise and say that there’s a higher way,’’ he said.
Trump says Leo will not be ‘doing a excellent job’
Trump delivered a unprecedented broadside against Leo on Sunday night, saying he didn’t think the U.S.-born global leader of the Catholic Church is “doing a excellent job” and that “he’s a really liberal person,” while also suggesting the pontiff should “stop catering to the Radical Left.”
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Flying back to Washington from Florida, Trump used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticize Leo, then kept it up after deplaning, in comments on the tarmac to reporters.
“I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” he said.
Trump’s comments got here after Leo suggested over the weekend that a “delusion of omnipotence” is fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran. While it’s common for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it’s exceedingly rare for the pope to directly criticize a U.S. leader — and Trump’s stinging response is equally unusual, if no more so.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the president wrote in his post, adding, “I don’t desire a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
Italian politicians across the spectrum showed their solidarity with Leo. Premier Giorgia Meloni sent a message of support for his peace mission while the leader of the primary opposition party, Elly Schlein, was more direct, calling Trump’s attacks “extremely serious.”
Trump repeated that sentiment in comments to reporters, saying, “We don’t like a pope who says it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon.”
Later, Trump posted an image suggesting he had saint-like powers akin to those of Jesus Christ. Wearing a biblical-style robe, Trump is seen laying hands on a bedridden man as light emanates from his fingers, while a soldier, a nurse, a praying woman and a bearded man in a baseball cap all look on admiringly. The sky above is stuffed with eagles, an American flag and vaporous images.
Leo’s opposition to war irked Trump
All of that got here after Leo presided over a night prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, the identical day the USA and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan during a fragile ceasefire, with Vice President JD Vance leading the U.S. delegation. Vance is Catholic and recently released a book about his faith.
During his evening prayer service, the pope didn’t mention the USA or Trump by name, but his tone and message appeared directed at Trump and U.S. officials, who’ve boasted of U.S. military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.
Leo, who’s on an 11-day trip to Africa starting Monday — has previously said that God “doesn’t take heed to the prayers of those that wage war, but rejects them.” He’s also referenced an Old Testament passage from Isaiah, saying that “regardless that you make many prayers, I is not going to listen — your hands are filled with blood.”
Before the ceasefire, when Trump warned of mass strikes against Iranian power plants and other infrastructure and that “a complete civilization will die tonight,” Leo described such sentiments as “truly unacceptable.”
In his social media post on Sunday night, nonetheless, Trump went far beyond the war in Iran in criticizing Leo.
The president wrote, “I don’t desire a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the USA.” That was a reference to the Trump administration having ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.
“I don’t desire a Pope who criticizes the President of the USA because I’m doing exactly what I used to be elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do,” Trump added, referencing his 2024 election victory.
He also suggested within the post that Leo only got his position “because he was an American, they usually thought that may be one of the best strategy to cope with President Donald J. Trump.”
“If I wasn’t within the White House, Leo wouldn’t be within the Vatican,” Trump wrote, adding, “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and deal with being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!”
In his subsequent comments to reporters, Trump remained highly critical, saying of Leo, “I don’t think he’s doing a excellent job. He likes crime I suppose” and adding, “He’s a really liberal person.”
Bishops say the pope will not be a politician
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a press release saying he was “disheartened” by Trump’s comments.
“Pope Leo will not be his rival; neither is the Pope a politician. He’s the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the reality of the Gospel and for the care of souls,” Coakley said.
The Italian Bishops’ Conference expressed regret over Trump’s words, and underlined that the pope “will not be a political counterpart, however the successor of Peter, called to serve the Gospel, truth and peace.’’
Within the 2024 election, Trump won 55 per cent of Catholic voters, in response to AP VoteCast, an intensive survey of the electorate. But Trump’s administration also has close ties to conservative evangelical Protestant leaders and has claimed heavenly endorsement for the war on Iran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Americans to hope for victory “within the name of Jesus Christ.” And, when Trump was asked whether he thought God approved of the war, he said, “I do, because God is sweet — because God is sweet and God desires to see people taken care of.”