Pontiff responds to scathing attack from Trump.
Pope Leo XIV on Monday declared that he is not afraid of the Trump administration and will continue to speak out on peace, in response to the US president’s overnight social media attack.
“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do,” the pope told reporters on his flight to Algiers, at the start of an 11-day trip to Africa.
Leo said he did not wish to enter into debate, and clarified that his statements condemning war and violations of international law “are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone.”
However he said he would “not shy away from pronouncing the message of the Gospel.”
He drew directly on scripture: “The Gospel is very clear, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,'” inviting people of all nations to seek “ways of building bridges for peace and reconciliation” and to avoid war.
The remarks came in direct response to a late-night post on Trump’s Truth Social platform, in which the US president blasted the pontiff as “WEAK on crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy.”
The president also claimed Leo would not have been elected without him, stating: “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican”.
Trump later told reporters that in his view the pontiff wasn’t doing a very good job, adding: “I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo.”
Shortly after his rant against the pope, Trump posted an AI-generated photo of himself seemingly dressed as Jesus Christ, prompting accusations of blasphemy.
During his visit to Africa, Leo will visit Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
Photo credit: Rocco Pettini / Shutterstock.com
