By 
President Donald Trump publicly attacked Pope Leo XIV on social media Sunday evening, calling the pontiff “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” in a lengthy post that appeared to be reacting to the Holy Fatherʼs recent appeals for peace and an end to war.
In comments to reporters at Joint Base Andrews shortly afterward, Trump said: “I donʼt think heʼs doing a very good job. … I am not a fan of Pope Leo.” He added: “Heʼs a very liberal person.”
Trump accused Leo of being soft on Iran and criticized the popeʼs opposition to U.S. military operations. “I donʼt want a Pope who thinks itʼs OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” the president wrote. He also criticized the pope for opposing the U.S. intervention in Venezuela that ousted President Nicolás Maduro in January.
Leo has not said Iran should possess nuclear weapons. He has called the U.S.-Israel war in Iran “unjust” and on April 7 called Trumpʼs threat to destroy an entire “civilization” in Iran “truly unacceptable.”
Trump also claimed credit for Leoʼs election to the papacy in May 2025, writing: “He wasnʼt on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American.” He added: “If I wasnʼt in the White House, Leo wouldnʼt be in the Vatican.”
The post on Truth Social came hours before Leo was scheduled to depart Monday for an 11-day trip to four African countries, and one day after the pope presided over a globally broadcast prayer vigil for peace at St. Peterʼs Basilica.
The president said he preferred the popeʼs older brother, Louis Prevost, a Port Charlotte, Florida, resident who has described himself as a “MAGA type.” “I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA,” Trump wrote.
Trump also criticized Leo for meeting April 9 with David Axelrod, a former chief strategist for President Barack Obama, calling Axelrod “a LOSER from the Left.” The Vatican has previously confirmed the audience but did not disclose what was discussed.
The public clash comes after weeks of growing friction between the White House and Catholic leaders since the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran on Feb. 28.
Pope Leoʼs appeals for peace intensified over Holy Week, culminating in Saturdayʼs vigil, where he denounced a “delusion of omnipotence” and warned that “the holy Name of God” was being “dragged into discourses of death.”
At a special Mass for Peace held in Washington on April 11, Cardinal Robert McElroy argued that the current war fails to meet the strict criteria of just war theory, particularly in light of civilian suffering and the risk of disproportionate harm.
The Vatican has not yet publicly responded to Trumpʼs post. The pope is expected to arrive in Algiers on Monday.
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President Trump is right. Pope Leo, the bishops and all clergy have no business engaging in politics. Our hierarchy has a difficult enough time witnessing to Christ to the billion+ Catholics across the globe and to those ŵho do not yet know Christ. The hubris of our hierarchy will damage the Catholic Church profoundly if they don’t stop meddling in worldly politics.
Let’s remember: Jesus Christ was no politician. When the people wanted Him as a foil to the Roman Emperor, He demurred. Christ made no pronouncement about civic affairs. In fact, He explicitly told us to “Render unto Caesar…” Jesus Christ had no central banking system fraught with the corruption of the Vatican. Jesus Christ had no armed guards protecting Him. Jesus Christ had no law courts to try cases of errant bishops, cardinals and other clergy. Jesus Christ didn’t have a publishing arm to disseminate His teachings. Jesus Christ did not have a Secretary of State and the equivalent of ambassadors to countries across the globe.
The Church needs to return to Jesus Christ. The Church needs to stay out of politics. The Church needs to attend to God’s work, not Satan’s. It is in grave danger if it does not.
As a practicing Catholic (and a bad one I’m sure), while Trump seems like 80% my friend and 20% my enemy, the Holy Father seems like 20% my friend and 80% my enemy, which is sad enough. To me, it’s also sad that a non-Catholic seems to understand some Catholic doctrine better than an “Augustinian Pope”.
The Holy Father can promote peace all he wants; what he cannot do is subtly promote pacifism.
I suppose it’s to be expected when the Holy Father says basically “I’m not prolife if I support the death penalty”. It makes me almost ashamed to have an American as the Pope.
God have Mercy on us please.
The power of words…Trump’s rhetoric to “destroy a Civilization” was certainly over the top and not calibrated to enlist the minds and hearts of Iran’s subjects (not real citizens), while the diplomatically loaded “delusion of omnipotence” sounds like it might have come from the inner churnings of the Vatican Secretariat of State.
Likely blackmail by an Iran with a nuclear weapon is clearly not an option, but neither is some kind of China-style “provisional agreement” with a throwback jihadist command center masquerading as a modern nation-state.
As a thought experiment, as if thought mattered, it’s almost as if the contemporary world is caught in the aftermath of eighty years ago when clarity was dismissed on the cross-cultural misunderstanding of “unconditional surrender” and then of “mokusatsu.”
As a consequence of a few plastic words—rather than a few other words—was the entire era of the bipolar nuclear arms race an avoidable ingredient to a lesser Cold War? And, now, from a rogue “state,” the further proliferation of nuclear weapons…closure of Hormuz, similar to the closure a millennium ago of the pilgrimage routes to Jerusalem.
So, the Pope should be MAGA? Perhaps J D Vance, a Catholic for a couple of years can visit Rome and instruct Pope Leo on how to be a “good Catholic?” The Administration is becoming pathological.
The previous Pope met with Biden. Was he a “good Catholic”?
The most generous thing one can say about Trump is that he has absolutely no idea in the world about the role of a pope.
The Pope has absolutely no idea of the role of the Pope…just like his apostate predecessor.
Well said.
The most generous thing one can say about Pope Leo is that he has absolutely no idea in the world about the role of a nation’s pope.
Of course, then there are three clowns Cupich, Tobin, and McElroy pontificating on how to run a country. When Norah O’Donnell from 60 minutes pressed them with a pointed question, they went glassy-eyed but then clung to the narrative and ignored the question.
What’s infuriating is that none of them; not these three cardinals, nor Pope Leo can bring themselves to state the obvious: first-world nations cannot simply erase their borders and admit anyone motivated by economic opportunity. Why is this so difficult to understand or to say? These are not the bruised and persecuted seeking refuge. They are trespassers; they are foreign nationals who have broken the laws of sovereign nations, who believe they are entitled to bypass every protocol and enter any country of their choosing. They are illegal aliens, full stop.
My maternal grandfather emigrated from Sweden. He followed the laws of the land. So did nearly every immigrant of that era. Today’s mass illegal immigration is not that path; it is lawlessness and is being treated by the thoughtless as compassion.
And then McElroy refers to Emma Lazarus’ famous words: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” But those words have a specific meaning. They are an invitation to the wretched fleeing tyranny. They are not a blanket welcome to anyone seeking a higher standard of living. The broken chains at Lady Liberty’s feet symbolize liberation from oppression, not an open-door invitation regardless of law. Either understand what those words actually mean or stop misusing them. Lazarus’s poetry was never an invitation to ignore our laws, and should not be used to portray moral superiority when there is none.
correction – a nation’s president – I hate when I make such blatant errors in my writing. At times I think I border on losing my mind.
Mr Michael, don’t feel bad about that. Everyone makes mistakes in their comments. Minus an edit option we can all post typos.
Immigrants fleeing pogroms in Emma Lazarus’s day weren’t much wanted here either. Nor Italians, Irish, or Chinese.
It wasn’t always about leaving tyranny but fleeing famine, army conscription, or general poverty.
People today are legitimately fleeing cartel violence but we become complicit in that when we don’t secure our borders. It just creates more profit for organized crime & more gang turf wars. It’s a never ending cycle. Immigration for whatever legit reason is fine but it needs to be safe & legal.
Well said. The idiocy of the three stooges is flagrantly laughable.
I didn’t see Sixty Minutes but tuned into PBS’ History with David Rubinstein interview of Fareed Zakaria. Zakaria made sense until he stated his belief in the central tenet of Christianity: Blessed are the poor and the meek. This is his understanding of Christianity’s main tenet which he has admired since he was a boy.
Fareed and the stooges are birds of a feather.
This says it all
https://x.com/CarriePrejean1/status/2043533793093681464
Trump is 100% correct! Prevost is a weak spineless Marxist and actual Communist that bloviates far left talking points like a muppet. He is more Peruvian than American and that us his Theology. He never say a single bad word about Islam – Rather he coddles Islamist! Never a single word of the horrors in Nigeria! He has done more in a week with his leftist politics to harm the Church than Francis did his entire papacy!!!
Five (5) exclamation points. Take your medication.
When a religious?/political element (or anyone) threatens you with violence/death and openly/actively prepares to do so, what person/country wouldn’t have the right, even obligation, to defend itself? The consequences of Iran (radical Islam) having an A Bomb and delivery system are inconceivably evil and would have horrible consequences for the world. Why is that so hard for the Pope or anyone to understand?
I am a practicing Catholic and I voted for Trump 3 times.
I agree with Trump on the need to make absolutely sure that Iran NEVER has nuclear weapons, no matter what measures he has to take.
The above being said, there are times when the best thing the President can do is simply to STFU – this is one of them.
I agree Mr. Terence.
I might word the suggestion to Pres. Trump differently, but yes…
Terence M:
I agree.
Let us ALWAYS keep in mind the simple fact that we are dealing with religious fanatics who have absolutely no problem with sacrificing themselves along with people by the thousands in order to please their god, AKA Allah, case in point – September 11, 2001.
The president is acting to ensure that that these fanatics NEVER come into possession of a nuclear bomb.
What, pray tell, is the problem with that?
No problem. It makes perfect sense. Unless we prefer to kick the can down the road again & force our children & grandchildren to deal with it.
Nothingx
The Timing certainly appears auspicious.
Oh what a tangled web is being weaved, when confusion is not of The Holy Ghost.
Human Life is Sacred, thus we are Called to protect Human Life from harm. And yet, how is it possible that a man elected to the Papacy would refrain from affirming The Sanctity and Dignity of the marital act within The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony which affirms God’s Intention that we respect The Sanctity and Dignity of the Life of every Human Person from the moment of conception, while claiming authority in regards to The Catholic Church’s Teaching on what constitutes a just war?
https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/ncr-voices/three-cardinals-stand-pope-leo-xiv-unprecedented-interview
You can’t have one without the other, and calling out one without the other can only be construed to be a matter of politics sans The Word Of God Incarnate, Our Savior, Jesus The Christ, Whose Word Is Necessary to make every Nation rejoice in that which is Good, True, And Beautiful.
Politics that does not reflect Divine Law, is not of God but of man.
This is not a just war, period. I am no fan of Leo, but Trump seems to be suffering from some diabolical influence.
2309 The strict conditions for legitimate defence by military force require rigorous consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time:
– the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain [there must be certainty of the existence of an internationally wrongful act attributable to Iran; the act must be sufficiently grave that the use of arms to redress it would not be entirely unreasonable; the wrongful act must have a continuing character];
– all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
– there must be serious prospects of success;
– the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated.
The verification of these conditions and the decision to go to war is for the civil authority. Can the Church determine that the same is not open to a reasonable person acting reasonably on the facts, and with respect to which conditions?
He’s just suffering from a chronic case of being Donald Trump.People at that age don’t change much.
🙂
For any like me who are mystified why someone would write a piece like this repeated pulling only selected sentences out of it to parse – here is the actual DJT Post:
:https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116394704213456431
It speaks for itself. I, a 100% supporter of Mother Angelica’s beloved EWTN whose minions authored this piece, stand with DJT on this manufactured “controversy”.
Why do I say “manufactured”? Just for one thing, did you watch CBS’s presentation of the 3 CBS called “influential” USA Cardinals on 60 Minutes last night? THOSE 3??? I do NOT stand with them either.
You can watch the entire 13 minutes here:
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/influential-us-cardinals-american-politics-60-minutes-video-2026-04-12/
Afterwards, “Nighty Nite, Baby”.
A war of words between the Roman pontiff and a head of state is not helpful, unless both realize their interests and means of solving them differ.
While the military strategic interest can differ from the moral, the best outcome is that their opposing views modify the other in some positive manner. Although they are not equal, since the moral, spiritual interest is a higher existential order and deserves the greater consideration
(I apologize if this double-posts, just received a connection timeout.)
I agree with you, and to extend the point, carrying on a war of words on behalf of the Holy Father (or President Trump) is overall, a bad thing for the Church as the Body of Christ, however justified people may feel in doing so.
So as I wrote elsewhere, I would like to see the Pope take this as an opportunity to put what he has been saying about peacemaking into action, by seeking dialogue and reconciliation with the President. Should Trump apologize, as Bishop Barron has stated? Probably, but Leo should not wait for an apology. This would require Leo to be the “bigger man,” but he is after all the successor of Peter. Extending a hand of reconciliation as a model of what he wants to see around tbe world would demonstrate that he means what he says.
Well put Mary.
The Pope? Who does he think he is?
He doesn’t know what he’s saying!
He should provide spiritual care
Instead of his incessant braying…
He’s not infallible in facts!
The fact is, Trump is the best ever
At keeping this great nation safe
From the deranged Leftist fever.
But Pope Leo’s out of touch,
His Foreign Policy is horrid.
He’s also really weak on crime,
Like any other smug leftoid.
He should permit the Latin Mass,
He should promote conservatism,
Instead of spewing Leftist gas
And sixties’ hippie pacifism!
Our resident poet!
Recall the third Fatima secret?
Humble ourselves..
This is typical rhetoric of President Trump. Over the top. If we haven’t perceived and understood the style by now we are working in the dark.
Should he have been more prudent? From my point of view yes — I wouldn’t be spending time writing this.
But rhetoric is just that. His policies are targeted to the hard realities which demand attention, well thought out, and largely effective. The man doesn’t “do” theory. He acts. That is what an authentic leader does.
Compare and contrast the governance and international engagement of the Vatican with what we have with President Trump. And regard as well regard as well the Vatican’s engagement within its own ecclesial purview… Merely regard the China deal, the Vatican economic plight, rogue clergy promoting perversion, the German episcopate, and Marko Rupnik still sports a collar, thousand of canceled faithful clergy, liturgy wars … then there is Pope Leo’s enthusiatic support for the Marian minimalism of Tucho Fernandez.
The Holy Father is engaged in drawing on a no longer existent credence account depleted by his predecessor. This isn’t good.
I think Dr. J Budziszewski, a Thomistic scholar who focuses on ethics in politics, has an excellent breakdown of the war in Iran in terms of just war theory.
https://www.undergroundthomist.org/is-the-war-in-iran-just
In terms of the Pope saying things about the ethics of just war that are false on their face, and the President saying things about what he will do to Iran (and hasn’t done) that would certainly be unethical, it might be good to remember that people waging war have always used words and information as weapons (hence the long history of intelligence services, counter-espionage, and using the media to trick the enemy into acting in a certain way). Popes, however, are primarily teachers, and using words and information as weapons is counterproductive to that particular vocation.
No pope should ingratiate himself with a world that utterly despises Christ.
No US president should weaponise blasphemy to make a political statement.
This is a good, balanced perspective. Appreciate that.
Donald Trump isn’t simply making a prudential argument—he’s publicly attacking the Pope for calling for peace, while also sharing a blasphemous image portraying himself as Christ.
Catholics have a duty of respect for the Holy Father and his office, even when they may disagree with him prudentially. That respect matters, especially in matters as grave as war and peace. Sadly, I see that respect lacking in the remarks of many commentators.
This conflict clearly does not meet the traditional criteria for a just war (CCC 2309). These aren’t optional guidelines; they are part of the Church’s moral framework.
If we set those teachings and our respect for the Holy Father aside in order to defend a political figure (and a deeply comprised one at that), we are letting political loyalties shape our faith, rather than allowing the faith to shape our political judgments.
Well said, and I tend to agree with you. Cheers, friend.
That said, I recommend reading Professor Bud’s article outlining his argument for why our war does comply with just war principles. As for me, there’s more prayer and thinking that I’d like to spend discerning the justice of this war.
Regardless, I’m having a hard time seeing how the world is safer as a result of how we are prosecuting this war – in the short term, the immediacy of a nuclear Iran is gone; but in the next 30 to 40 years, I think we’ve done much more already to divide the world than to unite it against evil. This feels like this war could very well be our country’s Suez Crisis moment.
William: Do you have any sense of logic whatsoever? You might start with examining the fallacy of the undistributed middle, which simply boils done to contrasting that to which comparisons are identified as similar, a failure to make distinctions, similar to a strawman argument. No one has to agree with Trump, but a Pope needs to not be grossly deficient in knowledge of his own religion, especially since he is the second pope in a row who needs to outgrow the notion that truth is fungible.
God bless Pope Leo for speaking the truth. No civil society can ever put the Roman Church in its pocket.
I read with some disappointment the many comments that express disagreement with Pope Leo’s leadership and pronouncements while expressing agreement with President Trump in his attack on the Pope.
Rather than putting forward a response of my own writing on the matter i offer this article by Antonio Spadaro as it is a well thought out articulation of a position I agree with.
Antonio Spadaro, SJ, is undersecretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See. He is a member of the board of directors of Georgetown University and an Ordinary academic of the Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts and Letters of the Virtuosi al Pantheon. He was editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica for 12 years.
https://johnmenadue.com/post/2026/04/pope-leo-reframes-the-moral-language-of-war/
May I also suggest this very recent article published here on Catholic World Report.
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2026/04/14/thoughts-on-donald-trump-self-evident-truths-and-political-idolatry/
1) The image of Trump as Christ – Whose idea was it at the beginning?
2) Who authorized it?
3) It’s disgusting, not to mention offensive.
4) I stand by my former statement of there being times for the President to STFU.
5) In conclusion – Former POTUS Andrew Shephard is famous for his statement – “We have serious problems and we need serious people to solve them.”
True then, true now.
The Church is at its best when it tends to the spiritual need of souls.
It is at its worst when it wades into secular politics. Then, it makes compromises
with double standards and grossly unequal application of its teachings. It lets
itself be used by selfish political interests. (Did Jesus not say, “My kingdom is not of this world?)
I am waiting for our three “influential cardinals” and Pope Leo to denounce the ayatollahs for massacring their own people. Or when will we hear the leaders of
China, Cuba, Nicaragua scolded for there numerous human rights violations?
I suspect the hierarchy is infiltrated by the hard left and its semi-Marxist
policies.
I apologize for my absence from these discussions over the past few months, as I was fully occupied with an extensive theological research project. I thank especially Peter Beaulieu, Father Morello, and Mary for their thoughtful contributions. Your reflections touch upon the heart of the issue: what is the role of the Vicar of Christ in relation to temporal power? To address this properly, I believe it is necessary to recover the distinction between a theology of politics and political theology.
1. The realism of Saint Augustine of Hippo as an antidote
The vision of Augustine, born from the ashes of the Roman Empire, remains strikingly relevant. His analysis of the “two cities” reminds us that history is the battleground between the love of God and the love of self carried to the contempt of God. Augustine offers us an anti-utopian realism: no earthly city is ultimate. This stands as an antidote to the “political pride” of those who are tempted to divinise temporal power or to instrumentalise religion for intramundane ends. The State cannot produce perfect justice without the primacy of God; every political order is provisional and marked by human fragility.
2. Erik Peterson against Carl Schmitt
At this point, the lesson of Peterson becomes decisive, for he mounted a radical critique of the “political theology” advanced by Schmitt. Whereas Schmitt sought to justify political authority through theological analogies—thereby instrumentalising the sacred to legitimise sovereignty—Peterson demonstrated that, after the dogma of the Trinity, no such political theology remains possible within Christianity. Christianity cannot be reduced to an ideology in the service of any regime. The Pope, therefore, does not engage in “political theology” in order to support a faction, but rather in a theology of politics: he recalls power to its moral and transcendent limits.
3. The vision of Pope Benedict XVI
This equilibrium was masterfully embodied by Benedict XVI. He consistently maintained that the Church must not replace the State, but rather form consciences so that political reason may become capable of perceiving the true common good. As Ratzinger insisted, the State’s claim to be all-encompassing is, in itself, a negation of freedom.
Conclusion
In this light, both the criticisms and expectations expressed must be properly framed: the Pope is not a geopolitical actor among others. His moral “intransigence” is not political partiality, but fidelity to his mission—to ensure that the name of God is never used as an instrument of power.
In this debate, the date of April 13 resounds as a providential admonition. On this day, the Church commemorates Pope Martin I, Pope and Martyr. His historical witness is one of heroic resistance: Martin I was persecuted and left to die in exile by the Emperor because he refused to bend the Keys of Peter to temporal power. He reminds us that the Successor of Peter is neither a state functionary nor a chaplain to any passing empire. Power is ephemeral; truth is not.