A prominent evangelical pastor who has backed Donald Trump since 2016 has triggered a storm of outrage this weekend by claiming the president has a deeper grasp of the Bible's teachings on government thanPope Leo XIV.

Robert Jeffress, senior pastor ofFirst Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, made the assertion live on Fox News on 9 May 2026, two days after Secretary of StateMarco Rubio's audience with the pontiffat the Vatican. His argument rested on a single passage from the New Testament and an unambiguous alignment of Trump's military decisions with divine will.

The remarks landed at a moment when relations between the White House and the Holy See were already at breaking point, prompting swift condemnation from critics who accused Jeffress of substituting political allegiance for scriptural discernment.

Jeffress opened his Fox News segment by acknowledging that Pope Leo XIV was 'a good man' who was 'sincere in his faith,' before pivoting sharply. 'He is sincerely wrong when it comes to Iran,' Jeffress said. 'The pope ought to know, and I think he does know, God created both the church and government for two distinct purposes.'

WTF!Pastor Robert Jeffress just stated that the man who cheated on two of his wives, one with a porn star, when she was pregnant, and raped a woman while being convicted of multiple felonies “has a better understanding of what the Bible teaches than the Pope"Yes, these people…pic.twitter.com/EO12wdDcob

The pastor then citedRomans 13, the Pauline epistle on state authority, as theological justification for Trump's decision to join Israel's military campaign against Iran. 'The role of the church is to point people to faith in Jesus Christ, but the role of government is to protect citizens from evil doers,' he said. His conclusion was unambiguous: 'It looks like President Trump has a better understanding of what the Bible teaches about the role of government than the Pope has.'

Jeffress also revealed he had been in the Oval Office with Trump and other faith leaders three days after the US-Israeli attack on Iran began. 'He told us that Iran was within weeks of getting a powerful weapon that would destroy Israel, much of the Middle East and could bring great harm to America,' Jeffress said. 'I thanked him then for having the courage to fulfil his God-given responsibility to protect our nation.'

Jeffress's Fox News appearance aired two days afterRubio met Leo at the Apostolic Palaceon 7 May, a session theVatican described as 'cordial talks'lasting more than 45 minutes covering international tensions and humanitarian concerns. Rubio told reporters the trip had been 'planned from before,' though he acknowledged 'we had some stuff that happened.'

The strains between Washington and the Vatican had been building for months before that meeting. The first major rupture came in October 2025, when Leo said that opposing abortion while supporting the 'inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States' was an irreconcilable position. When Trump threatened to 'completely destroy' Iranian civilisation, Leo called the statement 'truly unacceptable.'

Trump's response, delivered on Truth Social in April 2026, was blunt. 'I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,' he wrote, adding that Leo was 'Weak on Crime' and 'terrible for Foreign Policy.' Leo fired back during a flight to Africa: 'I have no fear of the Trump administration.' He also rebutted Trump's characterisation of his stance on nuclear weapons, telling reporters on 5 May: 'For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt on that point.'

Source: International Business Times UK