Pope Leo XIV rejected criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, defending his mission to promote peace during a flight to Africa. Speaking to reporters aboard the papal aircraft, the pontiff insisted his role is spiritual rather than political.
“I am not afraid of the Trump administration nor of speaking loudly about the message of the Gospel,” the Pope said. He added that the Church exists to fulfill this message, regardless of political friction.
Trump attacked the Pope on Sunday night, calling his position on the war with Iran “terrible for foreign policy.” The President expressed disapproval of the Pope's stance regarding nuclear capabilities, stating, “We don't like a pope who is going to say it is okay to have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump also described the Pope as “weak on crime” and criticized his recent comments regarding U.S. actions in Venezuela. The President suggested Leo XIV was selected for the papacy because his American identity might help manage the relationship with the White House.
A clash of rhetoric
The tension follows the Pope's condemnation of Trump's recent rhetoric against Iran, which the pontiff labeled “truly unacceptable.” This came after Trump suggested a civilization could die following threats against Iranian targets.
While U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has framed the military effort as divinely supported, Leo XIV has explicitly rejected such justifications. “Jesus is the king of peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” the Pope stated on Palm Sunday.
Father Antonio Spadaro, a Vatican official, characterized Trump’s attacks as an attempt to silence a moral voice. “Trump does not debate Leo XIV: he begs him to retreat to a language that he can dominate,” Spadaro wrote on X.
Spadaro argued that the President’s focus on the Pope proves the pontiff's influence. “The attack is a declaration of impotence,” Spadaro said, noting that if the Pope were irrelevant, he would not merit such attention.
Leo XIV has previously called for the elimination of nuclear threats through dialogue. In June, he urged for a world free from nuclear weapons through sincere and respectful encounters.
