Pope Leo XIV on Monday said he would continue “speaking out” against war in response to President Trump’s scathing attack on the US-born pontiff.
Trump attacked Leo in a long post on Truth Social on Sunday night, which came as the pope and other Catholic leaders, including those in the US, had been very critical of the US-Israeli war against Iran.
“The message of the gospel. It’s very clear. Blessed are the peacemakers. I will not shy away from announcing the message of the gospel of inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges for peace and reconciliation, of looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible,” Leo told reporters while on a flight to Algeria, where he is starting a four-nation tour of Africa.
The pope said he didn’t act as a politician and didn’t want to “get into a debate” with President Trump, but that he would continue to push a message of peace.
“I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems,” he said. “Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”
In his post, Trump accused Leo of being “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy” and pointed to his criticism of the US war against Iran and the attack on Venezuela to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela,” Trump said.
Trump also claimed that Leo wouldn’t have been elected if he weren’t president and criticized the Chicago-born pope for meeting with David Axelrod, a former chief strategist for President Barack Obama. “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!” his post concluded.
After attacking Leo, Trump posted an AI image that appeared to depict him as Jesus Christ, sparking a strong backlash from American Christians. After the criticism, the post was deleted from his Truth Social feed, and Trump later claimed he thought it depicted him “as a doctor.”
After arriving in Algeria, Leo, the first pope to visit the North African country, which is overwhelmingly Muslim and home to a very small Catholic community, continued to make appeals for peace. “God desires peace for every nation, a peace that is not merely an absence of conflict but one that is an expression of justice and dignity,” he told a crowd at the Maqam Echahid Martyrs Monument in Algiers.
Leo closed his address at the monument by reciting the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” he said.
