Trump lambasts Pope Leo XIV, extending feud over Iran war with first American pontiff
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump visited Pope Benedict XIV on Sunday night. He launched an extraordinary attack on Leo, saying he did not think the US-born global leader of the Catholic Church was “doing a very good job” and that he was “a very liberal person” and suggested that the pope should “stop serving the Radical Left”.
Trump, who returned to Washington from Florida, used a lengthy social media post to harshly criticize Leo, then continued his post in comments to reporters on the tarmac after getting off the plane.
“I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” he said.
Trump’s comments come after Leo suggested over the weekend: “Illusion of omnipotence” gives fuel US-Israeli war in Iran. While it is not unusual for popes and presidents to have cross-purposes, it is extremely rare for the pope to directly criticize a US leader, and Trump’s harsh response is equally unusual.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime and Terrible on Foreign Policy,” the President said in his post, adding: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s okay for Iran to have Nuclear Weapons.”
He repeated this thought in his comments to journalists, saying: “We do not like a pope who says it is okay to have nuclear weapons.”
Leo presided over evening prayers at St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, the day the United States and Iran began face-to-face talks in Pakistan amid a fragile ceasefire. The pope did not mention the United States or Trump by name, but his tone and message appeared to be directed at Trump and US officials, who boast about US military superiority and justify the war in religious terms.
Leo, who is scheduled to depart on Monday for an 11-day trip to Africa, has previously said that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who make war, he rejects them.” He also references an Old Testament passage from Isaiah, saying: “Though you pray much, I will not listen to you; your hands are full of blood.”
Before the ceasefire, Trump had warned of mass attacks on Iran’s power plants and other infrastructure, warning that “an entire civilization will die tonight.” Leo described such feelings He called it “truly unacceptable.”
But in a social media post Sunday night, Trump went well beyond the war in Iran in criticizing Leo.
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America is attacking Venezuela, a country that sends large quantities of drugs to the United States,” the president wrote.
“I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected to do, in a landslide,” Trump said, referring to his 2024 election victory.
He also suggested in the post that Leo only got into this position “because he’s American and they thought it would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”
“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” Trump wrote, adding: “Leo should act as Pope, use his Common Sense, stop serving the Radical Left, and focus on being the Great Pope, not the Politician. This hurts him badly and more importantly, it hurts the Catholic Church!”
Trump remained highly critical in his comments to reporters, saying of Leo, “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. I think he likes crime,” adding of the pope: “He’s a very liberal person.”
Meanwhile the Trump administration close ties conservative evangelical Protestant leaders and requested celestial approval For the war against Iran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called on Americans to pray for victory “in the name of Jesus Christ.” And when Trump was asked if God approves of war, he replied: “I think so, because God is good; because God is good and God wants to see people taken care of.”
