- Pope Leo XIV. he does not want to argue with Donald Trump about the war in Iran.
- The Pope denied that his words about bullies were aimed directly at Trump.
- Donald Trump called the Pope weak on crime and foreign policy.
Pope Leo XIV. said on Saturday that he does not want to argue with US President Donald Trump about the war in Iran, but will continue to preach the gospel message of peace. The Pope described reports of his statements during the current trip to Africa as “not entirely accurate in all respects”. TASR informs about it according to AP and AFP agencies.
The Pope also spoke to journalists during the flight from Cameroon to Angola about Trump’s criticism of his address from last week. He emphasized that his words about the ravages of the world by “a handful of tyrants” two days ago in Cameroon were not aimed at the head of the White House. They were already prepared two weeks ago, “long before the president spoke about me and the message of peace that I preach.”
On Sunday, Trump announced on the social network that Leo XIV. he is “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy.” He was apparently responding to the Pope’s growing criticism of the US-Israeli war against Iran. The pope said Monday he would continue to speak openly about the war, and Trump criticized him again Tuesday.
On Thursday, Leo XIV. he condemned leaders who spend billions on wars and declared that the world is being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants”. He did not mention Trump directly. The Vatican emphasized that when the Pope talks about peace, he means all wars, not just the Iranian conflict.
“It looked like I was trying to argue with the president, which I’m not at all interested in,” the pope said on Saturday. “A certain narrative emerged, which was not completely accurate in all respects, but was based on the political situation created when, during the first day of (my) trip, the President of the United States made some remarks to my address,” Leo XIV said. “Much of what has been written since then has been commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what was said.”
The Pope added that he will continue to preach the Gospel. “I came to Africa primarily as a shepherd, the head of the Catholic Church, to be with all Catholics throughout Africa, celebrate with them, encourage them and accompany them,” he said.
