President Donald Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV on social media, calling him "weak on crime" and "bad on foreign policy" after the Catholic Church leader criticized Trump's stances on immigration and the war in Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump posted on the platform Truth Social, harshly criticizing Pope Leo XIV by saying the pope is "weak on crime and has terrible foreign policies." He added that the pope should focus more on his own duties and that he is not a big fan of this pope.
This attack was triggered by policy conflicts on several issues, especially the U.S.-Israel war against Iran that began on 28 February. Pope Leo, the first American pope in history, criticized Trump's threats to destroy Iranian civilization as "unacceptable," condemning that God will not hear the prayers of a leader whose hands are stained with blood from brutal wars.
Furthermore, Trump accused Pope Leo of holding extreme liberal views and not supporting crime suppression after the pope questioned Trump's immigration restrictions, suggesting they might contradict the church's "respect for life" principle. The pope pointed out that opposing abortion while treating immigrants inhumanely is self-contradictory.
In the post, Trump sarcastically analyzed that the reason Pope Leo was chosen last year was simply because he is American, and that the Vatican probably believed he was suitable to handle Trump.
However, the Vatican has yet to respond or react to this latest criticism. This tension is not the first time Trump has clashed with spiritual leaders, as he previously had disputes with Pope Francis as well.
/sourceReuters