Pope responds to Trump's accusations
Photo: Pope Leo XIV and U.S. President Donald Trump (Collage by RBC-Ukraine)
Pope Leo XIV responded to sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump, stating that he would continue to speak out against the war in Iran.
Leo replies that he does not wish to engage in a debate with Trump, but will continue to speak out against war.
"I will not enter into debate. The things I say are not meant as attacks on anyone,” Pope Leo told reporters on the Papal plane. “I am inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges of peace and reconciliation, of looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible," says the pontiff.
The Holy Father assures that he is not afraid of pressure from the President of the United States. He will continue to spread his core messages.
"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. We are not politicians, we don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective (as) he might understand it. But I do believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker," declares the Pope.
Background
On the evening of Sunday, April 12, US President Donald Trump sharply criticized Pope Leo XIV, calling him weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy.
On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote that he didn’t like a Pope who was willing to say it’s okay (to let Iran) have nuclear weapons.
The US president also took credit for Leo’s election.
Recently, the pontiff has spoken out against the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and called on politicians to sit down at the negotiating table, not at a table where decisions about deadly actions are made.
On March 29, Leo XIV said that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have hands full of blood.
It was an unusually strong statement, given that the war with Iran had entered its second month.
