Pope Leo has hit back at Donald Trump over his baseless claim that the pontiff is “endangering Catholics” by supporting Iran’s nuclear programme.
According to The Independent, speaking outside the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, the Pope did not directly respond to Trump by name but said that the Catholic Church had always been opposed to nuclear weapons.
He said, “The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Gospel, to preach peace. If someone wants to criticise me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully. For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt on that point.”
In his latest attack on the Pope, the US president claimed over the weekend that the pontiff “thinks it’s fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon” without providing evidence.
The comments came ahead of a challenging meeting with US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Thursday.
The US ambassador to the Holy See told reporters the meeting would include a “frank conversation” about the Trump administration’s policies.
The unprecedented rift between the US president and the head of the Catholic Church saw Trump criticize the pontiff for being “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.”
The comments drew sharp backlash from Christians across the political spectrum.
Trump also faced criticism from his base for sharing an AI rendering of himself many took to be an imitation of Jesus. He said he thought he was portraying a doctor.
