Pope Leo hits back at Trump's feud over Iran war

WASHINGTON

Pope Leo XIV gestures during a visit at the Maqam Echahid Martyrs� Monument in El Madania, near Algiers on April 13, 2026. Pope Leo XIV embarks today on an 11-day visit to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea for his first major international trip since becoming pontiff last year. AFP

Pope Leo XIV pushed back on April 13 against U.S. President Donald Trump’s broadside against him over the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, saying the Vatican’s appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel and that he didn’t fear the Trump administration.

“I don’t want to get into a debate with him,” Leo said on the papal plane en-route to the Algerian capital Algiers ahead of a 10-day African tour.

“To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is,” he said.

“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.”

History’s first U.S.-born pope stressed that he was not making a direct attack against Trump or anyone else with his general appeal for peace and criticisms of the “delusion of omnipotence” that is fueling the Iran wars and other conflicts around the world.

His remarks came after Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against Pope Leo XIV on April 12 night, saying he didn't think the global leader of the Catholic Church is “doing a very good job” and that “he's a very liberal person," while also suggesting the pontiff should “stop catering to the Radical Left.”

Flying back to Washington from Florida, Trump used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticize Leo, then kept it up after deplaning, in comments on the tarmac to reporters.

“I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” he said.

“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the president wrote in his post, adding, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon."

He repeated that sentiment in comments to reporters, saying, “We don’t like a pope who says it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon.”

Later, Trump posted a picture suggesting he had saint-like powers akin to those of Jesus Christ.

Wearing a biblical-style robe, Trump is seen laying hands on a bedridden man as light emanates from his fingers, while a soldier, a nurse, a praying woman and a bearded man in a baseball cap all look on admiringly. The sky above is filled with eagles, an American flag and vaporous images.