Trump blasts ‘weak on crime, terrible’ Pope Leo

President Trump accused the pope of enabling Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump sharply criticized Pope Leo in a fiery post on his Truth Social platform after the pontiff condemned the U.S. war on Iran.

Trump’s missive came after a series of increasingly direct criticisms from Pope Leo, who in recent days has denounced the conflict and called for an end to the fighting.

Speaking at a Vatican prayer vigil, the pope urged world leaders to reject violence, declaring, “Enough with war,” and warning against what he described as the “idolatry of self” and the glorification of military force.

He also previously condemned Trump’s threat to destroy Iran’s “entire civilization” as “truly unacceptable.”

In response, Trump issued a blistering statement on Sunday evening, accusing the pope of hypocrisy and political bias.

“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote, dismissing the pontiff’s criticism as selective and unfair.

The president asserted that Leo’s opposition to the war effectively enables Iran’s nuclear ambitions and criticized the pope’s stance on U.S. actions abroad.

“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela—a country that was sending massive amounts of drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our country,” Trump continued.

Trump argued that Leo ignored restrictions on religious life during the COVID-19 pandemic under the Biden administration.

“He talks about ‘fear’ of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the fear that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian organizations, had during COVID, when they were arresting priests, ministers, and others for holding church services—even outdoors and spaced apart,” Trump wrote.

Trump concluded by urging the pope to stay out of politics.

“He should focus on being a great pope, not a politician,” Trump said, adding that Leo’s statements are “hurting him very badly, and more importantly, hurting the Catholic Church.”