The Pope responds to Trump: "I am not afraid and I will continue to speak out against war"

BarcelonaThe unprecedented attack on the Pope by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, has, for the first time, received a direct response from the pontiff. Leo XIV has assured that he is not "afraid" of the North American leader and that he will continue to raise his voice against war, "fostering dialogue and multilateralism".

The pressures exerted by Washington on the Vatican in recent months have culminated in a direct attack by the White House tenant on the leader of the Catholics. The pontiff has avoided falling into the trap, but he has not dodged the questions from journalists traveling on board the plane that took him to Algeria, the first leg of a four-country trip to Africa that began this Monday.

"I do not consider my role to be that of a politician, I am not a politician, I do not want to enter into a debate with him. I do not believe that the message of the Gospel should be abused as some are doing," denounced the Pope, of North American and Peruvian nationality, without specifically naming Trump, but in clear reference to the North American leader, who after criticizing the pontiff the previous night published a photomontage in which he appears characterized as Jesus Christ healing a sick person.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has taken the opportunity to intervene. In a tweet addressed to the pontiff, the leader condemned the insult to "Your Excellency in the name of the great nation of Iran" and declared that the desecration of Jesus – considered a prophet by Islam – "is not acceptable to any free person".

he recalled that "God is not on the side of those who drop bombs"Vatican Rejection

Robert Prevost –who will celebrate one year as leader of the Catholic Church on May 8– has maintained a lower profile in recent months than his predecessor, has prioritized Vatican diplomacy, and has avoided clashing with the US administration. But he has not stopped denouncing the abuses of the powerful and of those who justify violence in the name of God. "Whoever has the power to unleash wars, let them choose peace!", he said from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica during his first Easter message as pontiff. And he has repeated it again this Monday. "I continue to raise my voice against war, trying to promote peace, fostering dialogue and multilateralism with states to find solutions to problems. Too many people are suffering today, too many innocents have been killed, and I believe someone has to stand up and say there is a better way", he denounced.

The Pope's unusual statements come after attacks in recent hours by the US president, who said he did not like Leo XIV because he was a liberal who defended nuclear weapons and that he was elected only thanks to him being in the White House. In a message posted on his social network, Trump called the Pope "weak on crime" and "terrible at foreign policy." "I don't want a Pope who thinks it's okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. I don't want a Pope who thinks it's terrible that America invaded Venezuela [...] I don't want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States, because I am doing exactly what I was elected to do by an overwhelming majority", Trump wrote on his Truth Social profile.

The disagreements between the US president and Leo XIV have a long history, although they have intensified in recent weeks. On Tuesday, the Pope condemned the US president's threat to annihilate an "entire civilization" if Iran did not open the Strait of Hormuz. And this Friday, during an audience at the Vatican with the members of the Chaldean Church synod of Baghdad, he recalled that "God is not on the side of those who drop bombs".

Trump's attacks provoked a wave of indignation in Rome and, for the first time, united the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the opposition, who have defended the pontiff's work as a peacemaker. The most surprising condemnation came from the vice president and leader of the League, Matteo Salvini, who distanced himself from Trump and defended the pontiff. "If someone works for peace, it is Pope Leo XIV, so attacking him does not seem like an intelligent or useful action."

For their part, the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) has lamented in a statement the American leader's words against the Pope: "In a time marked by international conflicts and tensions, his voice represents a call to respect the dignity of people, dialogue, and responsibility."