Trump lashes out at Pope Leo XIV: I don't want a pope who criticizes the US President

(Patria) - The President of the United States, Donald Trump, sharply criticized Pope Leo XIV on Sunday evening, condemning his stance on the war in Iran and saying he was "terrible for foreign policy".

"We don't like a pope who will say it's okay to have nuclear weapons. He is a man who doesn't think we should mess around with a country that wants nuclear weapons so they can blow up the world," Trump told reporters, adding: "I'm not a fan of Pope Leo".

Leo, the first American pope, has become increasingly vocal about the US and Israel's war against Iran, last week condemning Trump's rhetoric and threats to the people of Iran as "truly unacceptable".

That comment was prompted by Trump's threat that "an entire civilization would die tonight" in the hours before a two-week ceasefire with Iran was reached. Both Trump and his Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth invoked God in public messages during the conflict, with Hegseth framing the war effort as divinely supported, even using biblical justifications.

Leo opposed this idea.

"Jesus is the king of peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war," he said on Palm Sunday.

"He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them," he added.

Trump's remarks about the Pope on Sunday evening followed shortly after he published a similar lengthy criticism of the pontiff on the Truth Social network.

"Pope Leo is weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy," Trump wrote, continuing that he doesn't want a pope who thinks it's okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons or who thinks it's "terrible that America attacked Venezuela".

Following the US operation to abduct Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January, the Pope called for respect for the "will of the Venezuelan people" and for stability to be restored in the country.

"I don't want a pope who criticizes the President of the United States," Trump said.

The President further claimed that Leo "was not on any list to become pope and that the Church only placed him there because he is American, thinking that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump".

Pope Leo has spoken out against the proliferation of nuclear weapons before.

"The commitment to building a safer world free of the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue to build lasting peace, based on justice, fraternity and the common good," he said last June, as Trump considered attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump's comments on Sunday followed shortly after CBS News' "60 Minutes" aired a story in which senior American cardinals expressed support for the Pope's stance on the war and his earlier opposition to the Trump administration's harsh measures against immigration.

Shortly after Trump's comments, the President posted an image on Truth Social depicting him as a Christ-like figure healing a sick person, with American flags and eagles in the background.