An open public clash between the Pope and President Trump was perhaps bound to happen given the Vatican’s increasingly vocal criticism and condemnation of US military action in the Middle East. The Vatican has been consistently anti-war especially going back to the Iraq invasion and US occupation under the Bush administration.
While recent years and decades have seen successive popes move a bit leftward on general matters of moral theology (particularly the last one, Pope Francis), the irony is that it now happens to be an American pope who is subject of immense criticism in Washington.
Trump had unleashed a tirade against Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night, calling him “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” and charging him with “catering to the Radical Left.”
The lengthy Truth Social post was issued by Trump one day after the Chicago-born pontiff stated during a prayer vigil for peace what he characterized as a “delusion of omnipotence” during the Iran war.
To review, here are the highlights of what Trump said:
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Trump criticized the pope on matters including the Catholic Church’s stance during the COVID pandemic and said he likes Leo’s elder brother Louis Prevost “much better” than him because, he claimed, he’s “all MAGA.”
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“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela,” Trump wrote in an apparent reference to Leo’s January expression of concern for Venezuelans following the U.S. raid and ensuing capture of leader Nicolás Maduro in the South American country.
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Trump doubled down in his criticism in comments to reporters late Wednesday, saying: “I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal person.”
After this, Pope Leo XIV addressed reporters Monday aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria, and somewhat surprisingly decided to respond directly to the latest from Trump.
He made clear he does not view himself as a political actor and will not engage in a dispute with the US President, stating, “I think that the people who read will be able to draw their own conclusions.” He added, “I am not a politician, I have no intention of entering into a debate with him” – while emphasizing that his focus is on matters of faith and the Gospel, rather than politics.
“I do not think the message of the Gospel should be abused in the way some people are doing,” Leo said. This was clearly a veiled reference to Trump.
He reaffirmed his position on global conflict, declaring, “I will continue to speak out loudly against war,” and called for “multilateral dialogue between states” as the path to resolving crises. And then came one of the more interesting lines: “I am not afraid of the Trump administration,” the pope said.
Reaffirming his position, the pope said further, “The message of the Church is the message of the Gospel, blessed are the peacemakers.”
He concluded by highlighting human cost of ongoing conflicts, including the Iran war which was started by a US and Israeli surprise attack, stating, “Too many people are suffering in the world.” As for Trump, this probably won’t be the last time he goes after Leo XIV in public.