Trump says Pope ‘probably learned’ to stay out of politics and reveals reason he deleted image of himself as Jesus

While Donald Trump believes Pope Leo ‘probably learned a lesson’ about politics after their latest fight, the President explained why he deleted an image on social media depicting him as Jesus Christ.

Trump told CBS News Decided to unload cargo to America on MondayPope born Pope after seeing a 60 Minutes segment showing the Pope disapproving of the Iran War and Trump’s immigration agenda.

“He’s wrong about these things,” Trump said. ‘I think he should not enter politics. I think he probably learned that from that.’

Trump flatly said ‘no’ when asked if he planned to call Pope Leo and said he had ‘no idea’ if the pope would visit the US while Trump was President.

“That’s up to him, not up to me,” Trump said.

The president continued to claim that the AI ​​image was supposed to portray him as a doctor, but said he was stunned by the anger that appeared to be directed at him from both sides of the aisle.

‘I saw this as a picture of me being a doctor in treatment; “There was the Red Cross right there, you know, there were paramedics around me,” he said.

‘I was like a doctor too, you know, it was kind of fun playing doctor and healing people. That’s how it looked. That’s what most people thought.’

Trump also said he believed the painting was painted by a “very beautiful, talented artist” and then explained what prompted him to delete it.

Trump explained that the harsh criticism of Chicago-born Pope Leo came after he saw a 60-minute segment that showed him disapproving of the Iran War and Trump’s immigration agenda.

‘I normally don’t like doing this but I didn’t want to confuse anyone. ‘People were confused.’

The pope said on Monday he planned to continue speaking out against the war, telling Reuters: ‘I don’t want to get into an argument with it.’

Speaking on the papal plane to Algeria, where Leo will begin a 10-day tour of four African countries, he added: ‘I don’t think it means misusing the message of the Bible in the way some people do.

‘I will continue to speak out against war, promote peace, promote dialogue and multilateral relations between states, and seek fair solutions to problems.

‘Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone needs to stand up and say there’s a better way.’

It comes amid a growing rift between Trump and the leader of the Catholic Church, who in recent weeks has condemned rhetoric from the White House and called for peace in the Middle East.

Speaking passionately on Truth Social, Trump branded the pope.WEAK clear Crimeand terrible for Foreign Policy’.

He later sparked further controversy after posting an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ, triggering backlash on social media among his usual supporters and Catholics.

The president once again caused a viral stir by roasting the ‘crime-thin’ pastor for a long time before posting the photo, which even led some of his supporters to criticize him.

This comes after the US President launched an attack on Pope Leo on social media, branding him “weak on crime, terrible on foreign policy”.

It came after the President claimed Leo, 70, was elected Pope only ‘because he is an American’, adding: ‘If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.’

In the AI-generated image posted on Truth Social, Trump appears dressed in red and white as he heals a man with his healing hand while the American flag flies in the background.

He had previously told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sunday: ‘I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal man and a man who doesn’t believe crime should be stopped.’

Trump also accused the leader of the Catholic Church, which has 1.4 billion members, of “playing with a country that wants nuclear weapons.”

He lashed out at the pope again, writing on Truth Social on Sunday night: ‘I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s okay for Iran to have Nukes.’

“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America is attacking Venezuela, which is sending massive amounts of drugs to the United States and, worse, emptying its prisons into our country, including murderers, drug dealers, and murderers,” Trump said.

The president further deepened his opposition to Pope Leo and the church’s stance on various issues, including Covid-19 restrictions.

“He talks about the ‘fear’ of the Trump Administration, but he does not mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church and all other Christian Organizations are experiencing during Covid as they arrest pastors, ministers, and anyone else for holding church services while walking out and being ten or even twenty feet apart,” Trump wrote.

The pope said Monday he plans to continue speaking out against the war

The President later said that Pope Leo ‘criticized the President of the United States because I am doing exactly what I was elected to do, in a landslide.’

The outburst follows the Pope’s latest criticism of the US military’s actions in Iran over the weekend.

He told worshipers in St Peter’s Basilica on Saturday: ‘Enough idolatry of self and money! Enough with the show of force! Enough fighting!’

Last week, he criticized the President for his threats to the country and warned that “an entire civilization will die tonight and will never be brought back.”

The Pope called this a ‘truly unacceptable’ statement.

In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said ‘Leo should be grateful because as everyone knows that was a shocking surprise.’

‘He wasn’t on any list of Popes and he was put there by the Church because he was American and they thought that 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 later condemns Pope for meeting with Barack Obama‘s campaign manager, David Axelrod. The president called him an ‘Obama sympathizer’ and a ‘Loser on the Left, one of those who want churchgoers and clergy arrested.’

The outburst follows the Pope’s latest criticism of the US military’s actions in Iran over the weekend.

He added: ‘Leo must 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 very badly and more importantly it hurts the Catholic Church!’

Catholics were quick to criticize Trump on social media for attacking the leader of their Church, who they believe is the successor of St. Peter, one of Jesus’ 12 apostles.

“There is no uncertainty about the situation at the moment,” papal expert Massimo Faggioli told Reuters.

He compared his comments to efforts by the leaders of Germany and Italy during World War II to attract the late Pope Pius ⁠XII to support their cause.

“Not even Hitler or Mussolini attacked the pope so directly and openly,” Faggioli said.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he was discouraged by Trump’s comments.

‘Pope Leo is not his rival; The Pope is not a politician either. “He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks of the truth of the Gospel and the preservation of souls,” he said.

Bishop Robert Barron, who has led the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in southern Minnesota since 2022, said Trump’s comments about the Pope were ‘completely inappropriate and disrespectful’ and called for an apology from the President.

Iran exploited the chorus of condemnation, and President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote of

‘I wish you glory and honor, God willing,’ he said.

Trump eventually removed the image of the AI ​​resembling Jesus Christ on Monday afternoon.