Pope Leo XIV says he’s ‘not afraid’ of Trump as war of words escalates

Pope Leo XIV said Monday that he isn’t afraid of President Trump and vowed to keep raising his voice against the Iran war, as the public disagreement between the two leaders escalates.

“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 board his plane to Algiers.

“I don’t want to get into a debate with him,” Leo said of Mr. Trump. “I don’t think the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.”

Leo, the first pontiff from the U.S., said he would keep speaking out against the Iran war, adding that it was necessary for him to speak out for peace. It is extremely unusual for a pope to respond to a foreign leader so publicly. He is the first American pope.

“I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems,” Leo said. “Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say, ‘there’s a better way to do this.’”

The pope’s remarks come one day after a sharp rebuke from Mr. Trump over the pontiff’s opposition to the Iran war.

“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a country that was sending massive amounts of drugs into the United States and even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers and killers into our country,” Mr. Trump wrote in a scathing Truth Social post.

“And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, in a landslide, to do, setting record low numbers in crime and creating the greatest stock market in history,” Mr. Trump continued.

The president also said Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican if Mr. Trump hadn’t won the 2024 election, accusing the pontiff of catering to the “radical left.”

“It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church,” he said.