After unprecedented Trump attack, Pope Leo XIV says he is 'not afraid'

Rome — Pope Leo XIV has said he is “not afraid” of Donald Trump and will continue to “speak out loudly against war,” responding firmly after the US president launched an extraordinary and highly personal attack on the pontiff.

 Speaking to journalists aboard the papal flight to Africa, Leo made clear he would not be intimidated by political pressure. “I am not afraid of the Trump administration,” he said. “I speak the Gospel and will continue to speak out loudly against war.”

 Trump had earlier branded the Pope “weak” and “terrible on foreign policy” in a tirade that risks deepening tensions between the White House and the Vatican.

 In a lengthy post published while travelling aboard Air Force One, Trump accused the first American pope of aligning with “radical left” positions and even claimed that Leo’s election was linked to his own presidency. “If I were not in the White House, he would not be in the Vatican,” Trump wrote, adding that the pontiff’s stance on crime and nuclear issues “does not appeal to me at all.”

 The pontiff who is currently on an apostolic journey to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, stressed that his role is not political but moral. “We must build peace. Too many people are suffering, too many innocent lives have been lost,” he said, calling for dialogue and renewed multilateral cooperation.

 While declining to engage directly in a prolonged dispute, the American pope issued a pointed remark widely interpreted as criticism of political misuse of religion: “I do not think the Gospel can be abused in the way some are doing.”

Trump’s comments went further, accusing the pope of being soft on Iran and criticising his opposition to US foreign policy decisions, including military actions abroad. He also suggested he would have preferred Leo’s brother, described as aligned with the “Make America Great Again” movement.

The remarks drew swift condemnation from Catholic leaders. Paul S. Coakley, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he was “deeply saddened” by the president’s words, stressing that “the pope is not a political rival, but the Vicar of Christ.”

Italy’s bishops also expressed “regret” over the comments, reaffirming their support for the pontiff and emphasising that his voice represents “a call to dignity, dialogue and responsibility” in a time of global conflict.

 International reaction followed quickly. Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the remarks as an “insult”, stating that “the profanation of Jesus, prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable for any free person.”

 The clash marks an unusually direct confrontation between a sitting US president and a pope, raising concerns about a potential diplomatic rift at a time of already heightened international tensions.

PS