'I'm not afraid of the Trump administration': Pope Leo defends Gospel message amid Iran war

On Monday, Pope Leo XIV strongly defended the Vatican’s diplomatic position, saying he has "no fear" of the Trump administration after several public attacks from the U.S. President over the conflict with Iran. In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump had said that Pope Leo was "weak on crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy." "I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don't want a Pope who thinks it's terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country," Trump wrote. 

While speaking to journalists on "Shepherd One" as he traveled to Algiers, the first American-born Pope talked about the growing conflict between the Holy See and the White House, calling it an unusual and public clash of moral and political authority. "I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration nor speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel," the Pope told OSV News and other reporters during the flight.

The 70-year-old Pope, who was once Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, stressed that his calls for peace and reconciliation are not personal or political moves but are "rooted in the Gospel." He said that viewing his message as a political attack misses the Church's true mission. "We are not politicians," Pope Leo said. "We don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker."

The Pope’s remarks came less than a day after President Donald Trump criticized him on social media. The President became angry after the Pope recently condemned what he called the "delusion of omnipotence" behind the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. Trump responded on Truth Social, saying he did not want a Pope who "thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon." "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," Trump wrote.

Earlier, the Pope had said that "God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war," after members of the Trump administration, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, had explicitly described the conflict in religious terms, calling for victory "in the name of Jesus Christ." Despite pressure from the U.S. President, Pope Leo promised to keep supporting multilateral solutions and dialogue. "Too many people are suffering today," the Pope said. "Someone must stand up and say there is a better way."