Speaking to reporters on Sunday evening, Trump said he strongly disagreed with the Pope’s comments on the conflict, accusing him of being too lenient towards Tehran.

“We don’t like a pope that’s going to say that it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “He’s a man who doesn’t think we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world. I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.”

Pope Leo XIV, the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church, has emerged as one of the most prominent global critics of the US and Israel’s war with Iran. Over the past month, he has repeatedly condemned the conduct of the conflict and warned of escalating global consequences.

Last week, the Pope denounced Trump’s rhetoric towards Iran as “truly unacceptable”, after Trump warned that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” unless Tehran complied with American demands, just hours before a two‑week ceasefire was agreed.

Earlier, during a Palm Sunday sermon, Pope Leo appeared to directly rebuke the Trump administration’s use of religious language to justify the war. “Jesus is the King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” he said. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”

The pontiff has also warned that the current conflict risks spiralling into what he called an “unbridgeable chasm” of violence, urging world leaders to recommit to diplomacy and international law.

In his most recent remarks, Pope Leo stressed that attacks on civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law and said the war was unjust, escalating and failing to resolve the underlying crisis.

–ChannelAfrica–