Donald Trump affirmed that he will not apologize for his severe criticism of Pope Leo XIV, stating that the Pope was wrong regarding Iran and that he will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons capable of destroying the world.
On 13 Apr 2026 GMT+7, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV, head of the Roman Catholic Church, once again, affirming he will not apologize for his remarks and stating that the Pope was wrong in his position on Iran.
When asked by reporters at the White House if he should apologize to Pope Leo after harshly criticizing him on Sunday evening, Trump responded, "No, I don't have to, because the Pope said something incorrect. He strongly opposed what I am doing regarding Iran, but we cannot allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons."
Trump said the Pope "would not be happy with the final outcome" if Iran succeeds in developing nuclear capabilities. "You could have hundreds of millions of deaths, but that will definitely not happen."
He also accused the Pope of being "very weak on crime and other issues," adding, "I didn't start this; the Pope spoke first. I just responded to Pope Leo."
"There is nothing to apologize for. The Pope is the one who is wrong," the President said. "He dislikes what we are doing with Iran, but Iran... wants to be a nuclear country so they can destroy the world, which will not happen."
Pope Leo, the first American Pope, has increasingly opposed the U.S.-Israel and Iran conflicts. Just last week, he condemned Trump's rhetoric about destroying Iranian civilization as "truly unacceptable."
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Source:cnn