By Morlu Freeman
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of Pope Leo XIV after the pontiff condemned the ongoing war involving Iran, escalating tensions between the White House and the Vatican.
In a social media post on Sunday, Trump described the Pope as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” adding that he did not want “a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
The remarks came after Pope Leo publicly criticized the war and urged world leaders to pursue peace, comments that have drawn repeated backlash from the U.S. president.
The confrontation highlights growing friction between Trump and Pope Leo, who has recently taken a more outspoken stance against the conflict in Iran and called for restraint and negotiations.
The Vatican has not yet issued an official response to Trump’s latest comments.
