Pope Leo XVI broke his silence on US President Donald Trump's fiery comments.
Pushing back against Trump’s broadside, Pope Leo says the Vatican’s appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel, and that he did not fear the Trump administration, Al Jazeera reported.
“I don’t want to get into a debate with him,” Leo said on Monday on board the papal flight to Algiers, where the first US-born pope is starting a 11-day tour to four African countries.
“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. 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,” he said.
In a Sunday night post on social media, Trump had unleashed a storm of criticism at Leo, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”.
He said he does not “want a Pope who criticises the President of the United States.”
The pope has also previously questioned the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies, saying, “I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”
Trump’s unusual outburst appeared to be triggered by recent remarks from Pope Leo critical of the US-Israel war on Iran.
Last week, Leo had issued a rare direct rebuke of Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilisation, calling it “truly unacceptable“.
The 70-year-old pontiff on Sunday implored leaders to end ongoing bloodshed, condemning what he described as a “delusion of omnipotence” fuelling war.
