CALGARY — Pope Leo XIV found himself the target of a scathing attack by US President Donald Trump over the weekend.Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday, saying the Pope was “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy.”.“He talks about ‘fear’ of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the fear that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian organizations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding church services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart,” Trump said, adding he didn’t want a Pope “who thinks it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear bomb” or thinks “it’s terrible America attacked Venezuela.”Trump’s comments came as Leo said over the weekend that a “delusion of omnipotence” was fuelling the Middle East situation.Speaking at evening prayers in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Saturday night, Leo addressed world leaders who decide to go to war, saying, “To them we cry out; stop! It is time for peace. Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided.”While Leo did not specifically mention Trump or any US official in the sermon, many believe the message appeared to be directed at the president’s administration.In his Truth Social post, Trump added that if he “wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”“Leo’s weak on crime, weak on nuclear weapons, does not sit well with me,” Trump said.“Leo should get his act together as Pope, use common sense, stop catering to the radical left, and focus on being a great Pope, not a politician.”.Later, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure appearing to cure a man, which has since been taken down from the president's Truth Social account. The Pope, who arrived in Algeria on Monday as part of an 11-day tour of Africa, responded by telling reporters he didn’t fear the president’s administration and planned to continue speaking out against the ongoing conflict.“I am not a politician, and I do not want to enter into a debate with him,” the Pope said.“I do not think the message of the gospel should be abused as some are doing. I continue to speak strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, dialogue, and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems.”Trump’s remarks have been criticized by politicians and commentators from all sides.Italian deputy minister Matteo Salvini, who has previously been a supporter of Trump, stated that “if anyone is working hard on the issue of peace and conflict resolution, it’s Pope Leo. Attacking the pope, a symbol of peace and a spiritual guide for billions of Catholics, doesn’t seem like a useful or intelligent thing to do.”In a social media post, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni praised Leo for his trip to Africa and his role in “fostering the return of peace.”.Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene also called out the president on X, saying that, “On Orthodox Easter, President Trump attacked the Pope because the Pope is rightly against Trump’s war in Iran, and then he posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus.”“This comes after last week’s post of his evil tirade on Easter and then threatening to kill an entire civilization,” Greene said.Trump later told reporters that he thought the Pope wasn’t “doing a very good job.”“He likes crime, I guess,” Trump said.“He’s a very liberal person.”
