Trump attacks Pope over criticism of Iran war
The US president accuses Leo of being "weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy".
Coverage by Political Leaning
See how different sides of the spectrum reported this story
Notable Quotes
"The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn every form of war."
— Giorgia Meloni , Politician
"I don't think he's doing a very good job, he likes crime, I guess."
— Donald Trump , Politician
"I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do."
— Pope Leo XIV , Other
"Attacking the Pope... doesn't seem like a useful or intelligent thing to do."
— Matteo Salvini , Politician
"Not even Hitler or Mussolini attacked the Pope so directly and publicly."
— Massimo Faggioli , Academic
"I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA."
— Donald Trump , Politician
"it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon."
— Donald Trump , Politician
"weak on crime."
— Donald Trump , Politician
"if I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican."
— Donald Trump , Politician
"truly unacceptable."
— Pope Leo XIV , Other
"extremely disrespectful."
— Pope Leo XIV , Other
"It’s an abominable regime, and it should be removed."
— Cardinal Robert McElroy , Academic
"To splice together movie cuts with actual bombing and targeting of people for the purposes of entertainment is sickening."
— Cardinal Blase Cupich , Other
"I didn’t say that they were people without law."
— Cardinal Joseph Tobin , Academic
"The statements made by President Trump on Truth Social regarding the Pope were entirely inappropriate and disrespectful."
— Bishop Robert Barron , Activist
"I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran."
— Masoud Pezeshkian , Politician
"I completely denounce this and I’m praying against it!!!"
— Marjorie Taylor Greene , Politician
"I'm not a fan of Pope Leo (XIV)"
— Donald Trump , Politician
"Pope Leo (XIV) is weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy."
— Donald Trump , Politician
"I am not a politician."
— Pope Leo XIV , Other
"Too many people are suffering in the world today."
— Pope Leo XIV , Other
"Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician."
— Donald Trump , Politician
"I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems."
— Pope Leo XIV , Other
"I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime, I guess."
— Donald Trump , Politician
"I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel."
— Pope Leo XIV , Other
Key People
A Catholic bishop known for his evangelistic work and connection to Trump's Religious Liberty Commission.
One of Pope Leo's closest allies in the Vatican.
Cardinal Joseph Tobin is the Archbishop of Newark.
Cardinal Robert McElroy is the Bishop of San Diego.
Former president of the United States known for his aggressive economic policies.
Giorgia Meloni is the Premier of Italy.
JD Vance is a United States Senator from Ohio and a prominent figure in conservative politics.
Louis Prevost is the brother of Pope Leo XIV and a supporter of Donald Trump.
Lou Prevost is the brother of Pope Leo XIV and a vocal supporter of Donald Trump.
Former Congresswoman from Georgia who supported Mark Lynch's campaign.
Masoud Pezeshkian is the President of Iran.
Massimo Faggioli is an Italian academic who studies the Vatican.
Matteo Salvini is a government ally and member of the League party in Italy.
Former Speaker of the House known for her political activism.
The President of Venezuela, involved in a long-standing political crisis.
Pete Hegseth is the United States Secretary of Defense.
Pope Leo is the head of the Catholic Church and has recently criticized divisive global leadership.
Pope Leo XIV is the current pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
Locations
Tags
All Coverage
The US president accuses Leo of being "weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy".
President Trump expressed a strong preference for Lou Prevost, Pope Leo XIV's brother, who is a vocal Trump supporter and has previously shared inflammatory comments online, including a video insulting former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
In a recent '60 Minutes' episode, three prominent American Catholic cardinals criticized President Trump's foreign and domestic policies, particularly his military actions in Iran and Venezuela, marking their first joint televised interview.
A prominent MAGA-aligned Catholic bishop, Robert Barron, publicly demanded that President Trump apologize to Pope Leo XIV for a hostile social media post criticizing the pontiff and depicting Trump as Jesus Christ.
President Trump launched an unprecedented attack on Pope Leo XIV, accusing him of being 'weak on crime' and 'terrible for foreign policy,' following the pontiff's rejection of the Iran war.
President Trump lashed out against Pope Leo XIV, accusing him of being 'WEAK on Crime' and 'terrible for Foreign Policy,' as the leader of the Catholic Church recently emerged as an outspoken critic of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
President Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV as 'weak' following the pontiff's criticism of the U.S.-Iran war, with the pope responding that he does not fear the Trump administration and will continue advocating for peace.
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