Thirty per cent of Americans say they view Pope Leo XIV negatively for asking citizens to lobby Congress to 'work for peace and reject war' with Iran, according to a new ABC News/The Washington Post/Ipsos poll released in the US this week.
While 66 per cent of respondents reacted positively to the Papal peace appeal, nearly one in three citizens now view the Holy Father through a partisan lens. This shift marks a departure from the traditional status of the Pope as a moral witness above the American political fray. The Vatican- Donald Trump row has intensified as the President continues to frame the Pope's stance as a threat to national security.
The poll results follow weeks of escalating tension between the White House and the Holy See. Trump has utilised social media to attack the Pontiff, stating he does not want a Pope who accepts a nuclear-armed Iran.
According to the data, 57 per cent of Americans viewed Trump's social media attacks negatively, while 38 per cent supported his confrontational rhetoric. The Pope Leo XIV Iran war stance is rooted in the Church's long-standing opposition to all forms of nuclear weaponry, a fact the Pontiff reiterated during a recent address from his residence in Castel Gandolfo.
The poll asked Americans to rate their reactions to statements from a range of figures on the Iran war, from Trump administration officials to Pope Leo XIV. When participants were presented with the Pope's request that Americans contact their representatives in Congress to push for peace and reject war, two-thirds, or 66 per cent, said they felt positively about his stance.
30 percent of Americans are against [squints at notes] the Pope urging peacepic.twitter.com/nwKvczqNhV
Almost one in three, however, said they had a negative reaction. In a country where pontiffs have often been treated as moral voices above the partisan fray, that 30 per cent is not a trivial fringe. It suggests a sizeable bloc of Americans is uncomfortable with, or outright hostile to, the idea of a Pope intervening directly in US foreign policy debates, even when that intervention is framed as a plea for peace.
The same survey also captured public reaction to Trump's own rhetoric. Asked about his social media post stating, 'I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,' a clear majority of respondents, 57 per cent, reacted negatively. Just over a third, 38 per cent, viewed the president's post positively, reinforcing how sharply opinion cleaves around his confrontational style.
Pope Leo XIV has firmly rejected Trump's characterisation. The president has insisted that the pontiff's approach 'endanger[s] Catholics,' accusing him of effectively accepting the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran. Those charges, serious on their face, sit awkwardly with the Church's long record of opposing nuclear weapons outright.
🚨HOLY MOLY: Pope Leo responds to Trump FALSELY suggesting he wants Iran to have nuclear weapons:“If anyone wants to criticize me for announcing the Gospel, they should do so with truth.”Trump is an evil embarrassment.pic.twitter.com/YNSNQ2wzkKhttps://t.co/L2MAGPnOCg
Source: International Business Times UK
