United States President Donald Trump has openly criticised Pope Leo XIV, saying he’s “not a big fan” of the Catholic leader following his recent call for peace.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump described the pope as “very liberal” and accused him of being soft on issues like crime.
He also took issue with the pope’s stance on Iran, suggesting the pontiff was being too lenient toward a country he believes is pursuing nuclear weapons.
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump later added in a post on Truth Social.
The comments came a day after Pope Leo, 70, used a public address at St. Peter’s Basilica to urge world leaders to step back from conflict.
Calling for an end to violence, he warned against what he described as the obsession with power, money, and war.
Despite the sharp remarks, both Washington and the Vatican have tried to downplay any suggestion of a serious fallout between them.
Earlier reports had claimed that a senior U.S. defence official gave a stern warning to the Vatican’s envoy in Washington over the pope’s criticism of the Trump administration.
But both the Pentagon and the Vatican have dismissed that account, insisting the meeting was not confrontational.
Still, there have been clear differences between the two sides in recent months.
The Vatican has criticised the Trump administration’s tough immigration policies, describing mass deportations as “inhuman.”
It has also pushed back against the use of military force in places like the Middle East and Venezuela.
Tensions rose further after Trump made a controversial statement earlier in the week, warning that “a whole civilisation” in Iran could be wiped out.
The pope condemned the comment as “unacceptable” and urged all sides to return to negotiations.
Interestingly, just days before the latest clash of words, Pope Leo had welcomed news of a temporary ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, calling it a hopeful step.
That optimism didn’t last long. Talks between both countries in Islamabad broke down over the weekend, with Vice President JD Vance saying the U.S. had already put forward its “final and best offer.”
With disagreements growing more public, the relationship between Washington and the Vatican appears increasingly strained even if both sides insist otherwise.
