Pope Leo XIV said on Saturday that it was “not in my interest at all” to debate US President Donald Trump about the Iran war, but that he would continue preaching the Gospel message of peace.
Speaking to reporters aboard the papal plane flying from Cameroon to Angola, the American pope sought to set the record straight, insisting that his preaching isn’t directed at Trump.
“There’s been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects, but because of the political situation created when, on the first day of the trip, the President of the United States made some comments about myself,” he said.
Trump launched the criticism on his social media platform Truth Social on the night of April 12, accusing Leo of being soft on crime, cosy with the left and said that the first American pontiff owed his election to Trump.
Leo has issued consistent calls for peace and dialogue, and has denounced the use of religious justification for war. Specifically, he called Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilisation “truly unacceptable.”