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United States·Iran·Diplomacy

Trump publicly criticises Pope Leo XIV over Iran war stance[Updated]

Monday, 13 April 2026, 05:32 · 1 min read
Updates
47d

Trump later deleted the AI-generated image depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure after it drew sharp criticism from Catholic organisations, conservative figures, and members of his own Republican Party, who called it blasphemous; the post had remained visible for more than 12 hours. When pressed by reporters near the Oval Office, Trump sought to minimise the backlash, saying: "I thought it was me posing as a doctor. It had to do with the Red Cross. It's supposed to be me, as a doctor, healing people, and I do in fact heal people." Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — among the European leaders closest to Trump and the only one to attend his January 2025 inauguration — broke with him publicly, calling his remarks against the pope "unacceptable" and stating it is "right and normal that the pope calls for peace and condemns war in any form." PolitiFact noted that Trump's claim the pope supports Iran having a nuclear weapon is directly contradicted by Leo's own record: in a March 5 video message the pontiff explicitly called on nations to "renounce weapons" and declared that "the nuclear threat" must "never again dictate the future of humanity," and as early as June 2025 he had appealed for a world "free from the nuclear threat."

Sources
47d

In a speech to political leaders at the Great Mosque of Algiers, Pope Leo XIV broadened his public challenge beyond Trump directly, blasting violations of international law by what he called "neocolonial" world powers and warning that "people and organizations that dominate others destroy the world." The pope did not name specific countries, but the remarks — his first formal address on African soil — added a pointed geopolitical dimension to his pushback. Trump, meanwhile, separately posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure, with the U.S. flag and the Statue of Liberty in the background, in the same period as his attacks on the pontiff. Leo also told reporters that the Christian message was being "abused" and said plainly: "Too many innocent people are being killed, and I think someone has to stand up and say there's a better way."

Sources
47d

Pope Leo XIV escalated his response to Trump's attacks on Monday, telling reporters aboard the papal plane that he has "no fear of the Trump administration" and that "the Church has a moral obligation to go against war" — adding that "the Gospel is clear" on the matter. The pope's public stand marks what observers are calling a direct collision between the Vatican and the White House, one that had been building for weeks as Leo subtly but consistently criticised both the Iran war and what he described as the manipulation of Christian messaging from the administration. Trump's original Truth Social post also cited the pope's stance on U.S. immigration policy as an additional point of contention, expanding the scope of the dispute beyond Iran alone.

Sources
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Trump went further in his Truth Social post by suggesting Pope Leo was elected solely because of his American nationality, writing "If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican" and claiming the conclave chose him as "the best way to deal with President Donald J Trump." When pressed by reporters to elaborate on his criticisms, Trump added: "I don't think he's doing a very good job, he likes crime, I guess." The pope's Algeria visit carries personal significance beyond its historic nature, as he is scheduled to celebrate a Mass in Annaba — the city where St. Augustine lived — on Tuesday; Leo, a member of the Augustinian order since 1977, described himself as a "son of St. Augustine" in his first address as pontiff in May 2025. Human rights organisations including Human Rights Watch, EuroMed Rights, and Mena Rights Group have called on the pope to raise the issue of religious minority repression during his Algeria stay.

Sources
47d

Pope Leo XIV responded to Trump's criticism while aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria, saying he had "no intention to debate" the U.S. president and describing himself as "not a politician" whose message remains focused on promoting peace. Trump's Truth Social post went further than his tarmac remarks, additionally accusing the pontiff of supporting Iran's nuclear weapons programme, opposing the U.S. military operation in Venezuela in January, and meeting with associates of former President Barack Obama. Pope Leo has also made history by becoming the first pontiff to visit Algeria, a Muslim-majority country where Islam is the official religion, arriving in Algiers on Monday morning as part of an 11-day, four-country African tour that will also take him to Angola, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea.

Sources
Original story

U.S. President Donald Trump launched a sharp public attack on Pope Leo XIV (the first American-born leader of the Catholic Church) on the night of 12 April 2026, declaring he was "not a big fan" of the pontiff and accusing him of being "a very liberal person" who should "stop catering to the Radical Left." Trump made the remarks via social media while flying back to Washington from Florida, then repeated his criticism to reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. The unusually direct assault on a sitting pope signals a deepening rift between the U.S. president and the Vatican, centred on disagreements over Trump's stance toward a potential war with Iran.

Sources
The Hindu — Trump lambasts Pope Leo XIV, extending feud over Iran war with first American pontiff ↗︎The Hindu — Watch: Donald Trump: ‘I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo’ ↗︎
Also covered by
Africanews · BBC Arabic [1] [2] · BBC World · Dawn [1] [2] · El País [1] [2] · Euronews · Folha de S.Paulo [1] [2] · France24 · Le Monde Afrique [1] [2] · NPR World · PBS NewsHour · Rappler · taz [1] [2] · The Guardian · The Hindu
This article was automatically compiled by AI from the sources above. It may contain inaccuracies. Always read the original sources for the full context.