Pope Leo Says He Has ‘No Fear’ of Trump After Sharp Criticism

April 13, 2026: Pope Leo has affirmed that he has "no fear" of the Trump administration and will continue to speak out against war, after the US president issued an unusually harsh critique of his stance on the Iran conflict.

Donald Trump accused the pontiff of being "WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy" in a Truth Social post, and later told reporters he was "not a big fan".

Speaking to reporters while en route to Algeria, the Pope said he did not wish to engage in a debate with Trump but would persist in promoting peace.

He has consistently criticised the Iran war, describing Trump's threat to destroy Iranian civilisation as "unacceptable" and urging him to find an "off-ramp" to end the conflict.

It is generally uncommon for a pope to respond directly to remarks made by global leaders.

The United States is home to over 70 million Catholics, representing around 20% of the population, including Trump's Vice-President JD Vance.

Trump’s comments came as the pontiff began an 11-day visit to Africa, marking his second major international trip since his election last year.

In a post on Sunday, the US president wrote that the Pope "should get his act together" and described him as "weak on nuclear weapons", apparently referring to Tehran’s pursuit of nuclear capability, which has been cited as one of the reasons behind the US and Israel’s war with Iran.

He also implied that the pontiff was elected "because he was American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J Trump".

"If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican."

When asked to clarify his remarks, Trump later said: "I don't think he's doing a very good job, he likes crime, I guess."

Trump added: "He's a very liberal person, and he's a man who doesn't believe in stopping crime, he's a man who doesn't believe we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world."

In response, the Pope told reporters aboard his flight to Algiers that he does not view his role as political, but rather as one focused on spreading a message of peace.

"I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do," he told reporters.

"I don't want to get into a debate with [Trump]," he added.

"Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say: there's a better way to do this."

Trump’s remarks also prompted criticism from Catholics worldwide, with one expert drawing a comparison to how fascist leaders interacted with the papacy during World War Two.

"Not even Hitler or Mussolini attacked the Pope so directly and publicly," said Massimo Faggioli, quoted by Reuters.

The Pope has repeatedly used public platforms to condemn global conflicts and call for de-escalation in the Middle East.

When Trump threatened Iran, stating that "a whole civilisation will die tonight", the Pope responded by calling the remark "truly unacceptable".

He has also spoken against Trump’s strict immigration policies, questioning whether someone could be considered "pro-life"—a term typically linked to opposition to abortion—while supporting what he described as the "inhuman treatment of immigrants".

Pope Leo is widely viewed as continuing the humanitarian approach of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who said Trump was "not Christian" during the 2016 election campaign due to his anti-immigrant rhetoric. Trump, in turn, described the late Pope as "disgraceful".

Courtesy: BBC

Image credit: Reuters