Pope Leo XIVpublicly pushed back atDonald Trumpfrom Italy on Wednesday after the US president claimed the pontiff was effectively backing a nuclear armed Iran and'endangering Catholics'. The pope insisted the Church has long opposed all nuclear weapons and told critics to 'tell the truth'. The clash came just days before Pope Leo XIV was due to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican on Thursday.
Trump has repeatedly attacked the pope over his anti war stance on Iran, casting the Vatican's calls for de escalation as naive and dangerous. In his latest broadside, delivered in a US radio interview, the president suggested Pope Leo XIV's position on the conflict meant he was comfortable with Tehran acquiring a nuclear weapon. The pope has now rejected that claim in unusually blunt on camera remarks.
Speaking to Salem News Network host Hugh Hewitt, Trump claimed the pontiff was effectively siding with Iran's nuclear ambitions. 'The pope would rather talk about the fact that it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don't think that's very good,' Trump said. 'I think he's endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people. But I guess if it's up to the pope, he thinks it's just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.'
There is no public record of Pope Leo XIV endorsing an Iranian bomb, and the Vatican has long aligned itself with global nuclear disarmament efforts. Trump did not cite any quotation or document to support his accusation. Instead, he presented it as his own reading of the pope's anti war position.
Pope Leo XIV responded outside the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, in the hills south east of Rome. He did not mention Trump by name, but the target was clear. 'The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Gospel, to preach peace. If someone wants to criticise me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully,' he said.
Pope Leo XIV tonight in Castel Gandolfo:“I have been speaking out ever since I was elected. The anniversary is almost here. I said, ‘Peace be with you,' and the Church’s mission is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace. If anyone wishes to criticize me for proclaiming the…pic.twitter.com/i2eK9aojht
He then addressed the nuclear issue directly. 'For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt on that point.' The response appeared designed to shut down any suggestion that the Vatican is soft on Iran's atomic ambitions, while casting Trump's remarks as a distortion rather than a fair reading of Church policy.
The White House has not publicly produced evidence to support Trump's characterisation of the pope's views. For now, the claim remains an accusation rather than an established fact.
The row lands awkwardly ahead of a scheduled face to face meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Marco Rubio, himself a practising Catholic. The meeting, set for Thursday at the Vatican, was already expected to cover the Iran conflict and wider foreign policy tensions.
Rubio moved quickly to soften Trump's language without openly contradicting him. Asked at a press conference about the president accusing the pope of 'endangering Catholics', the secretary of state replied: 'Well, I don't think that's an accurate description of what he said.' He argued that Trump's remarks had been misconstrued, though he did not offer a fuller explanation in the excerpts available.
Source: International Business Times UK
