Takes on the head of the Catholic Church: Donald Trump.Image: keystone
Apr 13, 2026, 06:22April 13, 2026, 06:33
US President Donald Trump has attacked the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, in an extraordinary act. The Pope is “terrible” when it comes to foreign policy, the Republican wrote on the Truth Social platform. The Pope is also American.
Trump wrote that the Pope should be “grateful” because he only became Pope because he was an American – so that people could deal with Trump better. “If I weren’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” claimed Trump, who often refers to the Christian faith in his politics.
The US President further wrote that he did not want a pope who thought it was okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. He doesn’t want a pope who thinks it’s terrible that the US attacked Venezuela.
Trump responds to Pope’s sermon
Trump’s strong criticism follows a sermon by the Pope on Saturday in which he called for an end to wars. “Stop the war!” said the head of around 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide at a large peace prayer in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Called for an end to the war: Pope Leo.Image: keystone
In his sermon, the Pope made a direct appeal to those in power: “Stop! It’s time for peace!” The pontiff spoke of “fantasies of omnipotence that are becoming more and more unpredictable and aggressive around us.”
On February 28, the USA and Israel attacked Iran, which in turn responded with counterattacks. A ceasefire is currently in effect.
Recently, the otherwise reserved Pope’s appeals for peace had intensified, especially with a view to the Iran war. Leo – the first pope from the USA – condemned Trump’s harsh threats against Iran with unusual sharpness and called them “truly unacceptable.” (cma/sda/dpa)