US President Donald Trump told reporters yesterday (Sunday) that he is not exactly a “great admirer” of Pope Leo IV.
Trump’s statement came a day after the US Roman Catholic Church’s strong anti-war intervention by the US prelate – after he had verbally attacked him via Truth Social a few hours earlier.
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“I’m not a big fan of his,” Trump told reporters at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, stressing that he is “too liberal” (the term the US president used generally refers to Democrats) and “doesn’t believe in fighting crime.”
He also warned the pope that he thinks it’s OK if Iran “gets a nuclear weapon”, reacting to his criticism of the US-Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic on 28 February, the trigger for the Middle East war.
And Trump’s post against the Pope
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Shortly earlier, Donald Trump published on his own social media site a lengthy post against the pope, accusing him of supporting Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons acquisition program, opposing the U.S. military operation in Venezuela in January and meeting with sympathizers of Democratic former President Barack Obama – among other things.
“I don’t want a pope who criticizes the president of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected to do, overwhelmingly, which is reduce crime to an all-time low and create the greatest stock market in history,” the US president said. “Leo needs to come to his senses as pope, use common sense, stop pandering to the radical left.”
The Republican almost simultaneously posted an image of AI in which he is shown, in a white and red robe, putting his hand on the forehead of a sick man, bedridden in hospital, surrounded by people praying or waiting for something, and against a background of an American flag, the Statue of Liberty, chasers, eagles and other figures.
Pope Leo: Enough of the idolatry of ego and money
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Leo XIV, in his strongest intervention since the outbreak of wars around the world, particularly in the Middle East, ruled the day before yesterday (Saturday) that religious faith is necessary “to face together this dramatic moment in history.”
“Enough of the idolatry of ego and money! Enough of the displays of power! Enough of war! True power manifests itself when we serve life,” the American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church said during a vigil and prayer for peace at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Talking to the “leaders”, Pope Leo also said that “it is time” to guarantee “peace”, to “sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned or lethal actions are decided.”
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He was careful, as in the past, not to mention any politician by name, or any country in particular.
Since being elevated to the office in May 2025, the Chicago-born pope has clearly taken a stand against some of the Trump administration’s decisions, while still maintaining open channels of communication.
