The president of the United States, Donald Trump, stated on Monday, 4, that Pope Leo XIV puts Catholics “in danger” because he believes that “it is okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon”.
In an interview with commentator Hugh Hewitt’s program, Trump commented on his trip to China, scheduled for next week. During the conversation, Hewitt said he would like the pope to talk about businessman Jimmy Lai, imprisoned in Hong Kong since 2022 for conspiracy against Chinese national security.
“Well, the pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don’t think that’s a very good thing,” Trump said. “I think he’s putting a lot of Catholics and a lot of other people in danger.”
“But I suppose if it’s up to the Pope, he thinks it’s perfectly normal for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” he added.
Hewitt responded that the pope was from Chicago and therefore “needs to learn some things.” Leão was born in Chicago, but also has Peruvian citizenship.
The statement adds to other public criticisms made by the president of the leader of the Catholic Church in recent weeks. Trump even referred to the pontiff as “weak” and “terrible” and said he was not a “fan” of his, in addition to accusing him of believing it was “acceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons”.
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Leo XIV, however, never said that Iran should have nuclear weapons. He condemned war in general and advocated peace negotiations. After Trump’s accusations, the pope stated that the mission of the Catholic Church is to defend peace. “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration,” he said.
To try to ease tensions, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, will travel to Italy this week and meet with the Pope in Vatican City, on Thursday, 7.
“The Secretary will meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere,” the State Department said in a statement.
“Meetings with Italian counterparts will focus on shared security interests and strategic alignment,” he added.
Rubio has frequently been asked to tone down or explain Trump’s aggressive rhetoric toward Europe, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Middle East. The dispute with the pope, however. It has domestic political implications in the US, as the mid-term legislative elections approach. (With information from the Associated Press)
