Pope Leo urges end to ‘madness of war’ as US-Iran negotiations begin
As negotiations begin between the leaders of the United States and Iran, Pope Leo held a prayer vigil for world peace, appealing to leaders to choose dialogue over war.
President Donald Trump slammed Pope Leo XIV on social media over his criticism of the US-Israel war with Iran, calling him “weak” on crime and “terrible” on foreign policy.
“I don’t want a Pope criticizing the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected to do,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Sunday, April 12.
The president also said he wouldn’t be in the Vatican if Pope Francis, the first American-born pope, wasn’t in the White House.
“Leo should be grateful, because as we all know, he was a shocking figure,” Trump wrote. “He was not on any list of potential candidates for the papacy, and the church only signed up because he was an American, and it was thought that was the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”
The Pope has been vocal in his opposition to the war for several weeks. Speaking at a service in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on April 11, he called out “the illusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive.”
“Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of displays of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in the service of life,” the Pope continued.
Aside from his criticism of the war, the Chicago-born pope’s recent private meeting with Democratic strategist and former President Barack Obama adviser David Axelrod appears to have irritated Trump.
“The fact that Leo is weak on crime and weak on nuclear weapons doesn’t sit well with me. I also don’t like the fact that he’s meeting with Obama sympathizers like David Axelrod, a loser on the left,” Trump wrote.
In his Easter Sunday message, the Pope implored: “Those who carry weapons, lay down them! Let those who have the power to provoke war choose peace!”
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is USA TODAY’s White House correspondent. You can follow her at X @SwapnaVenugopal..
