The controversy between Mr. Trump and the Pope continues with Mr. Vance and the bishops’ opinions
President Donald Trump continued his feud with Pope Leo in a post on Truth Social, calling Iran’s possession of a nuclear bomb “absolutely unacceptable.”
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has chipped away at his week-long feud with Pope Leo XIV, saying it’s OK for the two to take different approaches to world issues.
“I’m not fighting him,” Trump said. “The pope can say what he wants to say, and I want him to say what he wants, but I can also disagree.”
The president’s comments came after Trump and Leo exchanged a series of critical messages about the war with Iran in statements to the press and on social media.
In an April 10 post, Leo said that followers of Christ “will never stand by those who once wielded swords and today drop bombs.”
Following President Trump’s threat to Iran on Easter Sunday, April 5, Leo told reporters on April 7, “There is this threat against the entire Iranian people, and this is truly unacceptable.”
What are Trump and Leo fighting about?
President Trump criticized the Pope on social media on April 12th.
President Trump said, “Pope Leo is weak on crime, but terrible on foreign policy.” “I don’t want a pope who criticizes the president of the United States, because that’s exactly what I was elected to do in a landslide…If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
Vice President J.D. Vance said April 14 that the pope “should be careful when speaking about theological issues.”
In response, Bishop James Massa, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, issued a statement saying the Pope is preaching the Gospel.
“When Pope Leo
Asked about the bishops’ statement, Trump said he had the right to object.
“I want him to preach the gospel. I’m all about the gospel,” Trump said. “But I also know that you can’t force a mean country to have nuclear weapons. If they had nuclear weapons, they would use them, and they would use them quickly, killing millions of people.”
Reporters asked President Trump if he felt Leo, the nation’s first pope, was being disrespectful.
President Trump said, “I don’t think that way.” “The Pope needs to understand that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.”
