United States President Donald Trump has openly criticised Pope Leo XIV, declaring he is “not a big fan” of the pontiff following the latter’s renewed call for global peace.
Trump, who spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, described the Pope as “very liberal” and accused him of failing to take a tough stance on crime and security issues.
The US leader also faulted the Catholic head for his position on global conflicts, alleging that the pontiff was “playing with a country that wants a nuclear weapon,” in apparent reference to tensions involving Iran.
The remarks followed the Pope’s strong anti-war message delivered on Saturday at St. Peter’s Basilica, where he urged world leaders to halt escalating violence.
“Enough of the worship of self and money. Enough of the show of power. Enough of war,” the Pope told worshippers during the address, reinforcing his consistent calls for dialogue over conflict.
Trump later doubled down on his criticism in a post on Truth Social, insisting he would not support a religious leader who, in his view, appears tolerant of nuclear ambitions by Iran.
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” he wrote, intensifying an already strained relationship between Washington and the Vatican.
Despite the sharp exchanges, both the United States government and the Vatican have publicly dismissed suggestions of a formal diplomatic rift.
A Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, recently denied reports that a senior Pentagon official confronted the Holy See’s envoy to Washington over the Pope’s criticisms of the Trump administration, describing such accounts as inaccurate.
Tensions between the two sides, however, have persisted in recent months, particularly over the US government’s immigration crackdown and its military posture in the Middle East.
The Pope had earlier condemned threats of large-scale destruction against Iran as “unacceptable” and repeatedly urged leaders to return to negotiations instead of escalating hostilities.
The latest exchange underscores widening ideological differences between the White House and the Vatican, with the Pope maintaining a moral stance against war while Trump continues to defend a hardline approach to foreign policy.