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In the Vatican’s first response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV, a Vatican official said Trump was targeting “a moral voice” as the pontiff prepared to begin a 10-day trip to four African countries.
Fr Antonio Spadaro, writing on X, said Trump was attacking the pope because he “cannot contain it.”
“Trump doesn’t debate Leo: he begs him to retreat into a language that he can dominate. But the Pope speaks another language, one that refuses to be reduced to the grammar of force, of security, of national interest,” Spadaro said.
The exchange came after Trump escalated his criticism of Leo on Sunday, calling him “weak on crime” and ineffective on foreign policy after the pope’s appeal for peace over Iran. Trump also shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ.
Pope Leo, the first American pope, has become increasingly vocal about the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran. Last week, he condemned Trump’s rhetoric and threats against the people of Iran as “truly unacceptable.”
Speaking to reporters on Sunday evening, Trump said he was “not a fan of Pope Leo” as the pontiff prepared to leave for Africa.
“We don’t like a pope that’s going to say that it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon. … He’s a man that doesn’t think that we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world,” Trump said.
Trump also used a post on Truth Social to intensify his criticism of Leo, arguing that the Catholic leader was focused on “fear” of his administration while ignoring what he described as the persecution of religious figures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also claimed the pope’s election was shaped by the Church’s effort to manage relations with his presidency.
“He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American,” Trump wrote, adding that without his time in office, Leo “wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
Trump linked his criticism directly to Iran, saying he did not want “a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” and accused the pontiff of taking a soft stance on countries he views as threats.
He also criticized U.S. policy debates linked to Venezuela, claiming the country had “emptied their prisons” into the United States, while portraying the pope as out of step with security concerns.
At Joint Base Andrews, Trump repeated his criticism in remarks to reporters, saying, “I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo,” and describing him as “a very liberal person” who “doesn’t believe in stopping crime.”
Trump’s remarks followed a public appeal from Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Basilica, where the pontiff called for an end to global conflict.
“Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!” the pope told worshippers.
Leo has drawn increasing attention for his comments on the war involving Iran. According to the Vatican response and reporting from Rome, the pope’s remarks have cut through in the U.S. as he has spoken more forcefully about the conflict.
CNN’s Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb, who is traveling with Pope Leo, said he could not remember the last time a president of the United States had attacked a pope in this way.
Lamb said Leo was “something of a spiritual and diplomatic counterweight to President Trump,” adding that the pope’s style of leadership and priorities stood in contrast to those of the U.S. president.
He said the pontiff’s comments on the war were “cutting through to the U.S.”
“And obviously President Trump has responded in a very strong, unprecedented way,” Lamb said.
Pope Leo is set to become the first pope to visit Algeria, a Muslim-majority country, before traveling on to Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
Lamb said the timing and setting of the visit sharpened the contrast between the pontiff and Trump.
“The contrast between an American pope in Algeria, (a) Muslim country, at a time when the U.S. has been engaged in a military operation in Iran, is a stark contrast,” he said.
The Vatican response and Trump’s comments came just before Leo’s 10-day Africa tour, which will take him to four countries as tensions continue over his statements on war, Iran and the role of moral authority in international affairs.
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