President Donald Trump blasted Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday, falsely claiming the pontiff has supported Iran having a nuclear weapon, continuing a remarkable ongoing antagonism from the White House toward the Vatican ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meeting with the head of the Catholic Church.
Trump made the comments about the pope during an Oval Office appearance Wednesday.
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Trump, who has justified the war in Iran by claiming the country was weeks away from developing and using a nuclear weapon, accused the pope, in comments at The White House, of believing Iran could be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
The president made a similar comment Monday during an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, again falsely claiming the pope has talked “about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” and that the pope was “endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people.”
Pope Leo XIV told reporters Tuesday the church has spoken against and opposed all nuclear weapons, according to the National Catholic Register, adding, “I simply hope to be listened to for the value of God’s words.”
Rubio will meet with the pope on Thursday and has told reporters the meeting “is really not tied to anything other than the fact that it would be normal for us to engage with them,” noting the state of Cuba, which the Trump administration has threatened to take over, will be discussed.
In addition to meeting the pope, Rubio will sit down with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, during the visit. On Tuesday, Rubio also alluded to speaking to the Vatican about “the challenges that are being faced by Christians in Africa” and insisted the visit is not for the purpose of smoothing over recent tensions. Rubio will also meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has openly opposed the Iran war and backed the pope. Meloni called Trump’s comments against the pope “unacceptable,” with Trump later saying, “She’s the one who’s unacceptable” and that he was “shocked by her” lack of support for the Iran war.
Pope Leo XIV has preached peace amid the Iran conflict, labeling Trump’s threat in early April to eradicate “a whole civilization” as “truly unacceptable.” Trump countered that the pope was “WEAK on Crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy.” Pope Leo XIV later said he had “no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel.” Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, has also spoken out against the pope, saying at a Turning Point USA event last month Pope Leo XIV needs “to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” Amid the conflict with the pope, Trump received bipartisan backlash and outrage—including from conservative Christian supporters—for posting a photo on social media widely seen as depicting himself as Jesus Christ. The president deleted the post and later defended it, claiming he believed the image, which showed him wearing robes and a red sash, depicted him as a doctor.
Pope Leo Says He Has ‘No Fear’ Of Trump Administration After President Attacks Him (Forbes)
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