The US president launches an unprecedented attack on Pope Leo XIV over the pontiff's rejection of the Iran war, accusing him of being "weak on crime" and hurting the Catholic Church.
US President Donald Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night, saying he did not think the supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church is "doing a very good job" and that "he's a very liberal person," while also suggesting the pontiff should "stop catering to the radical left."
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Flying back to Washington from Florida, Trump used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticise the pope, then, after landing, continued in comments to reporters on the tarmac.
"I'm not a fan of Pope Leo (XIV)," he said.
Trump's comments came after Leo suggested over the weekend that a "delusion of omnipotence" is fueling the Iran war.
While it's not unusual for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it's exceedingly rare for the pontiff to directly criticise a US leader.
Trump's stinging response is equally uncommon, as relations with the leader of the Catholic Church, which numbers some 1.4 billion faithful worldwide, are generally cordial.
Trump's Vice President JD Vance is Catholic and has recently published a book on his conversion to the faith. He is also one of the last people to see late Pope Francis in person, having met him briefly last Easter Sunday. Pope Francis died the following morning.
"Pope Leo (XIV) is weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy," the US president wrote in his post, adding, "I don't want a pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon."
He repeated that sentiment in comments to reporters, saying, "We don't like a pope who says it's OK to have a nuclear weapon."
The pontiff responded on Monday, stating he had "no intention to debate" with Trump.
"I am not a politician," the pope told reporters aboard the papal plane as they headed to Algeria for the pontiff's first visit to Africa.
"I have no intention to debate with (Trump). The message is the same: to promote peace."
Saint-like image
Meanwhile, Trump also posted a picture suggesting he had saint-like powers akin to those of Jesus Christ. Wearing a biblical-style robe, Trump is seen laying hands on a bedridden man as light emanates from his fingers, while a soldier, a nurse, a praying woman and a bearded man in a baseball cap all look on admiringly.
The sky above is filled with eagles, a US flag and vaporous images.
Portraying oneself as Jesus Christ is generally considered blasphemous according to Catholic and broader Christian dogma, with some leeway for respectful dramatic or religious films, plays or reconstructions.
Constructive criticism of the pope, who is considered to be St Peter's successor and the Church's doctrinal shepherd, is allowed. However, vicious attacks or false depictions are considered serious sins.
All of that came after Pope Leo XIV presided over an evening prayer service in St Peter's Basilica on Saturday, the same day the US and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan during a fragile ceasefire.
The pope did not mention the US or Trump by name, but his tone and message appeared directed at Trump and US officials, who have boasted of military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.
Pope Leo XIV — who is scheduled to leave Monday for an 11-day trip to Africa — has previously said that God "does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them."
He also cited an Old Testament passage from Isaiah, saying, "Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen — your hands are full of blood."
Before the ceasefire, when Trump warned of mass strikes against Iranian power plants and other infrastructure and that "an entire civilisation will die tonight," Pope Leo XIV described such sentiments as "truly unacceptable".
'He likes crime, I guess'
In his social media post on Sunday night, however, Trump went far beyond the Iran war in criticising Pope Leo XIV.
The president wrote, "I don't want a pope who thinks it's terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a country that was sending massive amounts of drugs into the United States," a reference to the Trump administration having captured Nicolás Maduro in a surprise military operation in Caracas in January.
"I don't want a pope who criticises the president of the United States because I'm doing exactly what I was elected, in a landslide, to do," Trump added, referencing his 2024 election victory.
He also suggested in the post that Pope Leo XIV only got his position "because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J Trump."
"If I wasn't in the White House, Leo (XIV) wouldn't be in the Vatican," Trump wrote, adding, "Leo (XIV) 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."
In his subsequent comments to reporters, Trump remained highly critical, saying of Pope Leo XIV, "I don't think he's doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess," and adding, "He's a very liberal person."
Archbishop Paul S Coakley, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement saying he was "disheartened" by Trump's comments.
"Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls," Coakley said.
In the 2024 election, Trump won 55% of Catholic voters, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of the electorate. But Trump's administration also has close ties to conservative evangelical Protestant leaders and has claimed heavenly endorsement for the Iran war.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Americans to pray for victory "in the name of Jesus Christ." When Trump was asked whether he thought God approved of the war, he said, "I do, because God is good — because God is good and God wants to see people taken care of."
Pontiff of peace
Last week, Washington found itself accused of exerting pressure on the Vatican after media reports that the Holy See's envoy to the US had been invited to a private meeting that turned sour.
According to reports, US officials threatened the pontiff with an Avignon Papacy, a dark moment in Europe's history when the French crown used violence to move the seat of the Catholic Church to France to exert control and influence over its faithful.
Washington and the US and Holy See envoys have all rejected the reports as false.
The Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV was elected in April 2025 following the death of Pope Francis.
The conclave elected him after four ballots over two days — one of the shortest papal elections in modern history, shorter than the five ballots that elected Pope Francis in 2013.
He has outlined peace, justice and truth as the pillars of Vatican diplomacy under his papacy.
In a speech in January, the pope denounced what he called "diplomacy based on force" and in his Easter blessing he urged "those who have the power to unleash wars" to "choose peace."
According to Catholic Church records, the last time a pope explicitly called for and approved a war was Pope Urban II in 1095, when he launched the First Crusade.