13.4.2026
Pope Leo XIV has vowed to continue to speak against wars and evils committed by politicians, saying the message of Christ must not be abused.
The US born Pontiff was reacting Monday to US President Donald Trump’s social media post and interview attacking the Catholic leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church.
Speaking to journalists on Monday aboard the papal flight to Algiers, where the first US pope is starting a 10-day tour to four African countries, the pontiff also said the Christian message was being “abused”.
“I don’t want to get into a debate with him,” Leo said. “I don’t think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.”
“I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems,” he said, speaking in English.
“Too many people are suffering in the world today,” said the pope. “Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”
“The message of the church, my message, the message of the Gospel: Blessed are the Peacemakers. I do not look at my role as being political, a politician,” he said.
Trump, in an apparent response to the pope’s criticisms of both the conflict and the White House’s hard-line immigration policies, said late on Sunday that Leo was “terrible”.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime, I guess,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, when he was asked about his lengthy Truth Social post Sunday night criticizing the pope.
“We don’t like a pope that’s going to say that it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon. We don’t want a pope that says crime is OK in our cities. I don’t like it. I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo,” Trump added.