President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against the Vatican, using social media and live remarks to label Pope Leo XIV “weak” and “terrible” on global security.
The public broadside marks a sharp departure from the typically measured diplomatic relations between the White House and the Holy See, highlighting deep rifts over the administration’s military actions in Iran and Venezuela.
In a lengthy Sunday night post on Truth Social, the President took aim at the first American-born pontiff’s leadership.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote. He argued that the Pope focuses on “fear” regarding the current administration while ignoring the arrests of clergy during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. The President also drew a personal contrast between the Pope and his Florida-based brother, Louis Prevost. “I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA,” Trump posted, claiming the pontiff was only selected by the Church as a strategic move to manage his presidency.
Speaking to reporters Monday aboard his plane at the start of a 10-day trip to Africa, Pope Leo XIV pushed back.
“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel,” the pontiff said. “We are not politicians, we don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective as he might understand it.”
The Pope has previously told the U.S. Ambassador that he is “not an American pope” but a “pope from America for the world.”
The tension reached a fever pitch after the President shared an AI-generated image depicting himself in a robe performing a miraculous healing. The post drew fire from former Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who condemned the imagery, stating it appeared as if the President were “replacing Jesus.”
While the President suggested God supports U.S. actions because “God is good,” Pope Leo XIV posted to X that “God does not bless any conflict,” emphasizing that “military action will not create space for freedom.”
This theological clash comes as new polling from Shaw & Co. and Beacon Research reveals a divided Catholic electorate. While Trump won the Catholic vote by 12 points in the 2024 election, current data shows that only 40% of Catholic voters approve of his handling of the Iran conflict. Despite this, over 70% of Catholic respondents agreed on the importance of ending Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Vatican official Fr. Antonio Spadaro defended the pontiff, stating on X that Trump’s attack is a “declaration of impotence” against a moral voice he cannot contain.
As the administration maintains its aggressive foreign policy, the divide between the White House and the Vatican continues to widen, with Leo recently questioning the consistency of “pro-life” labels that do not extend to the treatment of immigrants or opposition to the death penalty.
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