President Donald Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, calling the pontiff “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy” in an escalating public feud over the war in Iran. The broadside came hours after Leo urged world leaders to pursue an immediate ceasefire.
Why it matters: A sitting US president publicly insulting the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics is rare in modern diplomacy and signals deepening isolation for Washington as international opposition to the Iran war grows.
What the Pope said
Speaking after his noon prayer at the Vatican on 12 April, Pope Leo said a “delusion of omnipotence” was driving the US-Israeli military campaign in Iran. He called on all parties to protect civilians and return to negotiations.
Leo did not name Trump directly. He urged the international community not to “look away from the suffering caused by war” and said the two-week ceasefire had offered “genuine hope” that should not be squandered.
Trump’s response
Trump posted on Truth Social early Sunday morning, writing that he is “not a big fan of Pope Leo” and that the pontiff should “stop catering to the Radical Left.” He accused Leo of wanting Iran to have nuclear weapons.
Less than an hour later, Trump shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ. The post drew immediate backlash from Catholic leaders and political commentators across the spectrum.
A pattern of papal conflict
Trump clashed publicly with Pope Francis in 2016, when Francis suggested that anyone who builds walls “is not Christian.” The current dispute is sharper. Leo is the first American-born pope, and his criticism carries particular weight with US Catholic voters.
According to NPR, the exchange is “exceedingly rare” in the history of Vatican-White House relations. Trump’s allies in Congress have largely avoided commenting on the posts.