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Geopolitics · Iran War · US Politics · Vatican
President Donald Trump publicly attacked Pope Leo XIV on social media, criticizing the first American pontiff's stance on the Iran war and nuclear weapons, escalating a significant feud as U.S.-Iran peace negotiations commenced in Pakistan.
Trump called Pope Leo XIV "WEAK on Crime" and "terrible for Foreign Policy," explicitly stating he opposes a Pope who condones Iran possessing nuclear weapons. This "extraordinary broadside," as described by the Associated Press, followed Pope Leo XIV's denouncement of the "delusion of omnipotence" driving the U.S.-Israel war in Iran and his demand for political leaders to negotiate peace.
Although Pope Leo XIV did not explicitly name the United States or Trump, his message was widely interpreted as directed at U.S. officials who have justified the war with religious rhetoric and boasted of military superiority. The public spat occurred concurrently with fragile ceasefire negotiations between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan, adding a complex diplomatic layer to the ongoing conflict.
Pope Leo XIV is scheduled for an 11-day trip to Africa.
The pontiff has criticized the war in Iran and appealed to Catholic faithful to press their political representatives to end the conflict.
