The Pope says he is “not afraid” of the US administration after Trump’s criticism

Pope Leo

The American Pope assured reporters from the plane that took him to Algeria, the first stop on an 11-day African tour, that he does not intend to “enter into an argument” with Trump and that he is “not afraid” of his administration.

“I am not afraid, neither of the Trump administration nor of expressing the gospel message loudly and clearly,” he said, adding, “I am not a politician. The message is always the same: promoting peace.”

He continued, “I believe that the Church has a moral duty to express very clearly its opposition to war,” considering that it is important to return to the path of diplomacy.

In a tense international context due to the war in the Middle East, Trump launched a scathing attack on the Supreme Pontiff, saying that he was not a “big fan” of him, after Leo XIV recently repeated the call for peace and stopping conflicts, and criticized those who launched them without naming them.

On Monday, Trump renewed his criticism of the Pope in a post on his platform, Truth Social, in which he said, “Pope Leo said the wrong things. He strongly opposed what I am doing regarding Iran, and Iran cannot have nuclear weapons,” noting that the Pope “was very weak (in his position) regarding crime and other matters.”

Trump refused to apologize to the Pope, saying, “There is no need for an apology. He is wrong.”

Trump had indicated on his platform that “Pope Leo is weak on crime and very bad on foreign policy.”

In response to these criticisms, the Italian and American bishops offered their support to the head of the Catholic Church.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that the criticism directed by the US President against the Pope was “unacceptable.”

Meloni added in a statement, “The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is correct and natural for him to call for peace and condemn all forms of war.”