Trump attacked Pope Leo on Truth Social, calling him weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy, and suggested the Pope owes his position to Trump. He said he is not a fan of Pope Leo and accused the Pope of being too liberal and critical of U.S. foreign policy, after the Pope raised the need for a peaceful solution to the war in Iran. According to multiple reports, Trump unloaded on Pope Leo after seeing a 60 Minutes segment showcasing the Pope's disapproval of the Iran War and Trump's immigration agenda. Trump and Pope Leo's relations have worsened recently, with the Pope opposing war and bloodshed, and Trump threatening to destroy Iran's civilization.
Pope Leo plans to continue speaking out against war, promoting peace and dialogue, and said he doesn't want to debate Trump. He emphasized that his message of peace is based on the gospel and not an attack on anyone, citing 'Blessed are the peacemakers'. According to www.euronews.com, Pope Leo XIV described having a moral duty to speak out against war. In a public speech, he stated that a zeal for war is spreading and the principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined.
I'm not a fan of Pope Leo.
Trump posted an AI-generated image on social media depicting himself as Jesus Christ. He caused further backlash over an image posted on his Truth Social platform Sunday night, which showed Trump wearing a biblical-style robe. Trump deleted the AI-generated image from social media. According to Daily Mail - News, Donald Trump described deleting it because he didn't want people to be confused; he viewed it as a picture of him as a doctor healing people. Trump claimed the AI-generated image showed him as a doctor healing people.
Pope Leo responded to Trump's criticism, saying he has no fear of the Trump administration and will continue his mission based on the gospel. In a press conference, he declared that he has no fear, neither of the Trump administration, nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for. He added that he will continue to speak out strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems. According to Daily Mail - News, Donald Trump described having no plans to call Pope Leo and having no idea if the Pope will visit the U.S. while he is President. Trump believes Pope Leo has probably learned a lesson about politics after their feud.
He has probably learned a lesson about politics.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned Trump's criticism of Pope Leo XIV as unacceptable. Italian political figures, including Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, criticized Trump for attacking Pope Leo. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni backed Pope Leo without directly criticizing Trump. In an official statement, Meloni said that the pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn all forms of war. Meloni earlier issued a statement supporting Pope Leo XIV's efforts for peace and reconciliation during a trip to Africa. Trump's comments drew outrage from many Italian politicians, while Catholic bishops from the U.S. and Italy were quick to defend the pontiff.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended Pope Leo against Trump's verbal attacks. Hal Lambert accused Pope Leo XIV and Barack Obama of a conspiracy to damage Trump's Catholic vote in the midterm elections. The U.S. administration, which has close ties to conservative evangelical Protestant leaders, has claimed heavenly endorsement for Trump's war on Iran. The specific evidence supporting Lambert's conspiracy allegation remains unclear, and the broader public reaction to the AI image beyond media reports is not fully documented.
I have no plans to call Pope Leo and have no idea if the Pope will visit the U.S. while I am President.
Megyn Kelly criticized Trump for feuding with Pope Leo and posting an AI image of himself as Jesus, calling it blasphemous. According to Daily Mail - Home, Megyn Kelly described it as blasphemous. Harry Enten suggested Trump is jealous of Pope Leo's high approval ratings, citing polls showing the Pope with +34 net favorability vs. Trump's -12. U.S. President Donald Trump defied calls to apologize for his attacks on Pope Leo XIV on Monday. In a press conference, Trump stated that the Pope was very much against what he is doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran, and that Pope Leo XIV would not be happy with the end result. He added that he thinks the Pope is very weak on crime and other things, so he is not going to apologize, and that the Pope went public and he is just responding.
Sources in the Vatican reported that the U.S. Defense Department summoned the Vatican's ambassador and threatened the Church, referencing historical parallels from the 1300s. The Vatican and the Pentagon have pushed back on a report that suggested a meeting in January between a U.S.-based cardinal and a member of Donald Trump's administration grew heated. The digital outlet the Free Press reported that Pierre was summoned by the White House over comments made by Pope Leo XIV two weeks earlier, characterizing parts of the meeting as a bitter lecture warning that the United States has the military power to do whatever it wants. The Free Press report cited Vatican officials briefed on the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity. In an official statement, the Pentagon said they have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy See. Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni stated that the narrative offered by some media outlets regarding this meeting does not correspond at all to the truth. U.S. ambassador to the Vatican Brian Burch called the report fabrications that were just invented and described the meeting as frank and cordial.
I deleted it because I didn't want people to be confused; I viewed it as a picture of me as a doctor.
Catholic news agencies cast Pope Leo XIV's Jan. 9 address from the Vatican as a call for multilateralism and compliance with international law. Pope Leo XIV's Jan. 9 address came five days after a surprise U.S. military operation that led to the seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Cardinal Christophe Pierre resigned last month after a decade as the Vatican's representative to the U.S. The full content and context of the Pope's Jan. 9 address that reportedly criticized U.S. foreign policy have not been fully disclosed, and the specific actions or policies by Trump regarding Iran and immigration that triggered the Pope's initial criticism remain unspecified.
Trump has been losing support among American Catholics, with polls showing a decline in his favorability. The second Trump administration has been accused by some critics of attempting to scrub ignoble events from the historical record, while Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials have been seen as erasing a separation of church and state. The current status of Trump's approval ratings among American Catholics and the general public, and how they have changed due to this feud, is not clearly established.
It's blasphemous.
The triggers for Pope Leo's criticism of Trump's policies on Iran and immigration are not fully detailed in public statements. The evidence for Hal Lambert's conspiracy claims involving Pope Leo and Barack Obama has not been substantiated. Current approval ratings among Catholics and the broader public in the wake of this feud remain uncertain, as comprehensive polling data is lacking.
Pope Leo (XIV) is weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy. I don't want a pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
We don't like a pope who says it's OK to have a nuclear weapon.
I have a moral duty to speak out against war.
I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration, nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for.
I will continue to speak out strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems.
He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran. Pope Leo (XIV) would not be happy with the end result. I think he’s very weak on crime and other things, so I’m not (going to apologise).
He went public. I’m just responding to Pope Leo (XIV).
We have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy See.
A zeal for war is spreading. The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined.
The pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn all forms of war.