Trump slams Pope Leo as ‘weak,’ but the U.S.-born pontiff stands firm on peace

WASHINGTON— President Trump was put into office largely thanks to the support of evangelicals and Catholics, and he has at times framed his political rise in divine terms.

However, the relationship was further damaged when Trump spent the weekend visiting Pope Benedict XIV. He is now worn down and soured in some corners of the church, after spending his time slandering Leo (“Leo’s Weakness on Crime”) and sharing a widely condemned social media post depicting himself as Jesus Christ.

Meanwhile, Leo reiterated his call on Monday for an end to hostilities between the United States and Iran. “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or speaking out about the message of the Bible,” Leo told reporters. “Blessed are those who make peace.”

Trump lashed out at the pope in a post on Truth Social on Sunday night and repeated the same criticisms on Monday. “I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo,” he said. “He’s a very liberal guy and a guy who doesn’t believe in stopping crime. He’s a guy who thinks we shouldn’t mess around with a country that wants nuclear weapons to blow up the world.”

This tirade sparked a swift response from Catholic leaders and believers alike, according to recent polls; they have increasingly withdrawn support for the president since he and Israel launched an attack on Iran.

Also fueling the backlash was an AI-generated image of Trump in a white robe and red shawl, placing his hand on the forehead of a man in a hospital bed. Trump confirmed he shared the photo but insisted he thought it portrayed him as a doctor, not as Jesus healing the sick.

So many people haven’t seen it.

“In the Christian faith, this is considered blasphemy: portraying yourself as Christ, elevating yourself to the level of Christ.”
“Our faith is bigger than our politics. That’s something that will always trump politics for people who practice their faith. He clearly doesn’t understand that,” conservative commentator Alyssa Farrah Griffin said on “The View.”

The Rev. Thomas Reese, who also works as an analyst for the Religious News Service, called Trump’s AI-generated image “an absolute disaster and blasphemy,” adding that it offended even some of the president’s religious supporters.

More broadly, Reese said the war itself and the way it was framed conflicted with core church teaching.

“It is completely wrong to appeal to God for the choice of a war,” he said, noting that Catholic leaders are increasingly emphasizing diplomacy and compromise over military action.

“Catholics who voted for him feel betrayed,” Reese said. “I think, especially when you tie the war to higher gas prices, higher food prices, they start to say, ‘That’s not what we voted for,'” he said.

In his Truth Social post, Trump also praised Leo’s election as pope after the death of Pope Francis last year, writing that Leo “was chosen because he was an 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.”

Tensions have been rising between the two leaders for months and were further fueled when Trump threatened to use the US military to destroy the entire Iranian civilisation.

At a peace vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica on April 11, Leo said the “illusion of omnipotence” fueled the war that left thousands dead. Although he did not name Trump, the pope has repeatedly warned against using religion to justify violence.

Many Trump supporters have claimed that he has divine authority, and Trump himself has repeatedly claimed that God saved him so that he could lead the United States in an assassination attempt in July 2024.

His administration has made extraordinary efforts to infuse Christianity into government functions, such as establishing the White House Office of Faith and holding prayer services at the Pentagon and the Labor Department.

After Iran shot down a U.S. warplane on April 3, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth likened the rescue of one of the airmen to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus: “He was shot down on a Friday, Good Friday. He hid in a cave, in a crevice, through Saturday and was rescued on Sunday. He flew out of Iran at sunrise on Easter Sunday. A pilot was reborn, all home and accounted for, a nation rejoices.”

A military observer group said last month: had taken More than 200 complaints from U.S. service members that military commanders told soldiers that the Iran war was part of a divine plan from God to trigger Armageddon. A group of Democratic lawmakers called for an investigation It is being investigated whether military operations are guided by “end time prophecies”.

Catholics rallied for Trump in 2024; 55% of Catholics who voted voted for Trump, 12 points higher than his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris.

But he has steadily lost support since the start of the war, according to a new bipartisan poll. Republican pollster Shaw & Co. About 52% of Catholics say they disapprove of the president’s job performance, according to a poll by Research and Democratic pollster Beacon Research. Another 23% say they strongly approve of his work, while another 25% somewhat approve.

The Catholic voting bloc, which makes up about a quarter of the U.S. population, has long been considered a leading demographic, having historically chosen the popular vote winner in nearly every presidential election over the past 50 years.

Since ascending to the throne of St. Peter, Leo has frequently clashed with the administration on issues ranging from immigration to foreign policy, emphasizing humanitarian concerns and diplomacy over power.

This attitude seems to resonate in the stands as well. Reese noted growing disillusionment among Catholic voters, including those who support Trump in 2024 and expect an end to protracted conflicts in the Middle East.

Commentator and priest Reese evaluated church history and said, “The Papacy survived Attila the Hun. It survived Napoleon, Mussolini and Hitler.” “They will survive Trump”

When Attila the Hun sacked cities to conquer the known world in 452 AD, it was the Catholic Church, not the Roman army, that welcomed him in a show of diplomacy. The priest of the time who convinced Attila to turn back his army and save Rome was named Pope Leo I.