U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV, who strongly condemned the war with Iran, saying he is "weak and terrible on foreign policy."
On the 12th, local time, Trump opened fire on Truth Social, saying, "I do not want a pope who thinks it is okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons."
He added, "I do not want a pope who thinks it is terrible that we struck Venezuela, which had been funneling massive amounts of drugs into the United States and flooding Korea with murderers and drug traffickers."
He stressed, "I also do not want a pope who criticizes the president of the United States, because I am doing exactly the job I was given by driving the crime rate to an all-time low and creating the greatest stock market in history."
He then said of the election of Pope Leo XIV, "He was elected because they believed he could take on President Trump simply because he is an American," adding, "If I were not in the White House, Leo would not be in the Vatican."
Leo XIV, elected last year as the first American pope, previously issued blunt criticism of the Trump administration, putting him at odds with Trump.
Leo XIV has repeatedly expressed opposition to the war in the Middle East and has called for an end to the fighting. In particular, he rebuked U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for praying last month, just before the invasion of Iran, while invoking Jesus Christ to "allow us to unleash overwhelming violence," saying, "The prayers of leaders who wage war do not reach God."
In response, Trump said, "Leo should stick to his role as pope and act with common sense," and he admonished, "Stop pandering to the radical left and focus on being an excellent pope, not a politician."