Pope Leo XIV says his ‘tyrants’ remarks weren’t aimed toward Donald Trump | News World

Pope Leo XIV has said it’s ‘not in my interest in any respect’ to debate Donald Trump in regards to the Iran war as he sought to downplay the extraordinary confrontation between the Vatican and the White House.

Talking to reporters in English on the papal plane to Angola on the most recent leg of his 11-day tour of Africa, Leo addressed the fall-out between the world’s two strongest Americans.

He clarified that his remarks earlier this week decrying a world that’s being ‘ravaged by a handful of tyrants’ weren’t aimed toward the US president.

The speech made headlines around the globe after being read because the pope fighting back against the administration and taking up Trump head-on.

But Leo, the primary US pope, told reporters today that the text ‘was prepared two weeks ago, well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I’m promoting’.

‘There’s been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its points, but due to political situation created when, on the primary day of the trip, the president of the USA made some comments about myself,’ he said.

‘Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, attempting to interpret what has been said.’

Leo has issued consistent calls for peace and dialogue and has denounced the use of non secular justification for war.

Specifically, he called Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilization ‘truly unacceptable’.

On Sunday, as Leo prepared to embark on his tour, Trump called him ‘WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy’ in a bizarre rant posted on Truth Social.

Trump also posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure, drawing widespread criticism even from some religious conservatives who typically support him.

The post was removed on Monday morning.

Trump gave the impression to be responding to Leo’s growing criticism in recent weeks of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Pope Leo declared on Monday that he would keep speaking out in regards to the war.

Trump then followed up on his criticism of the pope on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Leo blasted leaders who spend billions on wars and said the world was ‘being ravaged by a handful of tyrants’, though he didn’t mention Trump directly again.

‘Because it happens, it was checked out as if I used to be attempting to debate the president, which isn’t in my interest in any respect,’ he said on Saturday.

Looking ahead, nevertheless, he said that he would proceed preaching the Gospel.

‘I primarily come to Africa as a pastor, as the pinnacle of the Catholic Church to be with, to have a good time with, to encourage and accompany all of the Catholics throughout Africa,’ he said.

He drew attention to some upcoming liturgical readings about what it means to be Christian and to follow Christ, promote fraternity and brotherhood, ‘but additionally searching for ways to advertise justice in our world, promote peace in our world’.

Leo, originally from Chicago, kept a comparatively low profile for a pope in his first 10 months but has debuted a brand new forceful speaking style in Africa, sharply denouncing war, inequality and global leaders.

His Africa tour is probably the most complicated ever arranged for a pontiff, with stops in 11 cities and towns in 4 countries, traversing greater than 11,000 miles over 18 flights.

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