Pope after attack: “Don’t be afraid of the Trump administration”

The Pope is also American.

Trump wrote that the Pope should be “grateful” because he only became Pope because he was an American – so that people could deal with Trump better. “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” claimed Trump, who often refers to the Christian faith in his politics.

The US President further wrote that he did not want a pope who thought it was okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. He doesn’t want a pope who thinks it’s terrible that the US attacked Venezuela.

Pope Leo XIV has rejected Trump’s criticism. “What I say is by no means meant as an attack on anyone,” said the head of the Catholic Church on the flight to Algeria, the first stop on a trip to Africa. “I am not a politician. I invite all people to build bridges for peace and reconciliation and to look for ways to avoid war.” At the same time, Leo emphasized: “I am not afraid of the Trump administration.”

Trump responds to Pope’s sermon

Trump’s strong criticism follows a sermon by the Pope on Saturday in which he called for an end to wars. “Stop the war!” said the head of around 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide at a large peace prayer in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. In his sermon, the Pope made a direct appeal to those in power: “Stop! It’s time for peace!” The pontiff spoke of “fantasies of omnipotence that are becoming more and more unpredictable and aggressive around us.”

On February 28, the USA and Israel attacked Iran, which in turn responded with counterattacks. A ceasefire is currently in effect.

Recently, the otherwise reserved Pope’s appeals for peace had intensified, especially with a view to the Iran war. Leo – the first pope from the USA – condemned Trump’s harsh threats against Iran with unusual sharpness, calling them “truly unacceptable.”