Pope Leo has hit back at Donald Trump over his baseless claim that the pontiff is “endangering Catholics” by supporting Iran’s nuclear programme.
In his latest attack on the Pope, the US President claimed over the weekend that the pontiff “thinks it’s fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon” without providing evidence.
Speaking outside the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, the Pope did not directly respond to Trump by name but said that the Catholic Church had always been opposed to nuclear weapons.
“The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Gospel, to preach peace,” he said. “If someone wants to criticise me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully. For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt on that point.”
The comments came ahead of a challenging meeting with US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Thursday. The US ambassador to the Holy See told reporters the meeting would include a “frank conversation” about the Trump administration’s policies.
“Nations have disagreements, and I think one of the ways that you work through those is … through fraternity and authentic dialogue,” Brian Burch said.
“I think the Secretary is coming here in that spirit,” Burch told journalists. “To have a frank conversation about U.S. policy, to engage in dialogue.”
Donald Trump and Pope Leo, the first US-born pope, clashed publicly last month over the president’s sabre-rattling amid the then-hot conflict with Iran.
The unprecedented rift between the US president and the head of the Catholic church saw Trump lambast the pontiff as being “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”.
The comments drew sharp backlash from Christians across the political spectrum. Trump also faced criticism from his base for sharing an AI rendering of himself many took to be an imitation of Jesus. Trumps aid he thought he was portraying a doctor.
At the height of the dispute last month, vice president JD Vance, a Catholic, said the Pope should be “careful when he talks about matters of theology”.
The public disagreement forced a wedge between Trump and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, who had long been seen as a Trump ally in Europe.
Meloni called the comments “unacceptable” and expressed solidarity with Pope Leo. She said she would not feel comfortable in a society where religious leaders do what political leaders say.
Trump risked further alienating himself as he called Ms Meloni “unacceptable” for her comments, adding that he was “shocked by her”.
“I thought she was brave, but I was wrong,” he said.
More to follow…
