Leo XIV says he "is not afraid" of Trump after his criticism
The magnate had said that the Pope backed a nuclear Iran
BarcelonaPope Leo XIV has forcefully rejected criticism from the President of the United States, Donald Trump, this Monday, and has defended his stance of seeking peace in the Middle East. "I am not afraid of the Trump administration nor of speaking loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I must do, what the Church is here to do," the pontiff told reporters aboard his plane, which took him to Algeria.
"We are not politicians, we do not approach foreign policy from the same perspective –he said. And he reiterated that he believes "in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker." This is the Pope's response to Donald Trump's latest attack on Sunday night: "We don't like a Pope who says it's okay to have a nuclear weapon," Trump told reporters, and added: "I'm not a fan of Pope Leo." The US president also said that the reason Leo was appointed was because, as an American, he was the only one who could deal with him.
In a new provocation, Donald Trump published on his network, Truth Social, an image generated with artificial intelligence in which he appears as if he were God healing a sick man. Trump places his hand on his head while soldiers and nurses pray for him.
Leo XIV, the first North American pope, has become increasingly outspoken about the war between the United States and Israel with Iran. Last week he condemned Trump's rhetoric and threats against the Iranian people as "truly unacceptable" and said that "God is not on the side of those who drop bombs." The pontiff had reacted this way to Trump's threat to end "an entire civilization" in the hours before the agreement for a two-week ceasefire with Iran.
Both Trump and his Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, have invoked God in public messages during the conflict, and Hegseth has presented the war effort as divinely endorsed and has even used biblical justifications. Leo XIV has rejected this. "Jesus is the king of peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war," he said on Palm Sunday, adding: "He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them."