Trump Launches Scathing Attack on Pope Leo Over Iran War and Immigration
In an unprecedented and scathing attack, former US President Donald Trump has publicly denounced Pope Leo, lambasting the pontiff's opposition to the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran and his criticism of American immigration policies.
Writing on Truth Social, Mr Trump accused Pope Leo of being "WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy," further telling reporters he was "not a big fan." The Pope has been a vocal opponent of the war, which commenced on 28 February with US-Israel strikes on Iran, stating Mr Trump's threat to destroy Iranian civilisation was "unacceptable" and urging for an "off-ramp" to end the conflict. The war's initial day saw a primary school targeted, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties, including 110 children. Multiple UN bodies have documented war crimes committed by Israeli forces in the region.
Pope Leo has also questioned whether Mr Trump's hard-line immigration policies align with the pro-life tenets of the Catholic Church. Mr Trump's remarks coincided with Pope Leo embarking on an 11-day trip to Africa.
In his social media post, Mr Trump suggested Pope Leo "should get his act together" and was "weak on nuclear weapons," seemingly referencing Iran's nuclear aspirations, which were cited as a justification for the US and Israel engaging in war. He also provocatively claimed, "If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican."
When pressed by reporters, Mr Trump elaborated, stating, "I don't think he's doing a very good job, he likes crime, I guess." He added, "He's a very liberal person, and he's a man who doesn't believe in stopping crime, he's a man who doesn't believe we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world."
These comments have drawn immediate criticism from Catholic commentators. Massimo Faggioli, quoted by Reuters, compared the severity of Mr Trump's remarks to historical interactions between popes and fascist dictators, noting, "Not even Hitler or Mussolini attacked the Pope so directly and publicly."
Pope Leo has consistently used his public platform to condemn global conflicts and advocate for de-escalation in the Middle East. During his Easter address, without naming specific nations, the pontiff expressed concern that people were becoming accustomed to violence, indifferent to thousands of deaths, and urged, "Let those who have weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace."
