Trump Attacks Pope: Weak and I'm Not a Fan of Him

SadaNews - US President Donald Trump said in an interview with reporters that he is not a fan of Pope Leo XIV, following the Catholic Church leader's call for peace on Saturday.

Trump stated at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland: "I am not a big fan of Pope Leo. He is very liberal and he is a man who does not believe in fighting crime," accusing the pope of "coddling a country that seeks to acquire nuclear weapons."

On Saturday, the 70-year-old pope urged leaders to end wars, saying, "Enough with the worship of self and money, enough with the display of power, enough with war."

Trump reiterated his remarks to reporters in a post on "Truth Social," saying, "I don't want a pope who thinks it's acceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons."

Recently, Washington and the Vatican denied reports of a disagreement between them.

On Friday, a Vatican official denied reports that a senior Pentagon official had given the church's envoy to the United States a "severe lecture" due to Pope Leo's criticisms of the Trump administration.

The Free Press reported that the Pentagon summoned Cardinal Christophe Pierre in January, where he was reportedly reprimanded by US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Bridgitt Colby, a narrative that the Pentagon rejected, describing it as "distorted."

The military official told the cardinal that the United States has "the military power to do what it wants... and that it would be better for the church to stand with it."