Trump refuses to apologise after clash with Pope Leo XIV over Iran war
Despite widespread criticism after the US president lambasted the US-born pontiff as being "weak on crime," Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni's rare rebuke, Trump said no to an apology to the head of the Catholic Church while reiterating his claims.
US President Donald Trump defied calls to apologise for his attacks on Pope Leo XIV on Monday, as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned his criticism of the pontiff —triggered by the pope's denunciation of the Iran war — as "unacceptable".
"The pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn all forms of war," Meloni said in a statement on Monday.
It represents a rare rebuke of Trump from Meloni, a conservative leader who has sought to serve as a bridge between the US president and European leaders.
Meloni earlier issued a statement supporting Pope Leo XIV's efforts for peace and reconciliation during a trip to Africa, which began Monday, just hours after Trump launched a scathing criticism of the first US-born pontiff.
"I thought the meaning of my statement this morning was clear, but I will restate it more explicitly. I find President Trump's words about the Holy Father unacceptable," she said.
"Pope Leo (XIV) is weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy," the US president wrote in a Truth Social post Sunday, adding, "I don't want a pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon."
He repeated that sentiment in comments to reporters, saying, "We don't like a pope who says it's OK to have a nuclear weapon."
His comments drew outrage from many Italian politicians, while Catholic bishops from the US and Italy were quick to defend the pontiff.
Pope Leo XIV himself told reporters on the plane to Algeria — the first stop on a four-nation tour that also takes in Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea — that he had a "moral duty" to speak out against war.
"I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration, nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for," he said.
“I will continue to speak out strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems,” the pontiff emphasised.
Despite the backlash, Trump refused to apologise to Pope Leo XIV on Monday, and he sought to explain away a now-deleted social media post depicting himself as Jesus by saying he had thought the image was of him as a doctor.
Trump was asked about his comments toward the Chicago-born Holy Father of the Catholic Church, as well as the post depicting himself as a saint-like healer, in a hastily called question-and-answer session with reporters at the White House.
“He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran. Pope Leo (XIV) would not be happy with the end result,” Trump said, adding, “I think he’s very weak on crime and other things, so I’m not (going to apologise)."
“He went public," the Republican president added. "I’m just responding to Pope Leo (XIV).”
'It's supposed to be me as a doctor'
Trump caused further backlash over an image posted on his Truth Social platform Sunday night, which showed Trump wearing a biblical-style robe and laying hands on a bedridden man as light emanates from his fingers — while a soldier, a nurse, a praying woman and a bearded man in a baseball cap all look on admiringly.
The sky above is filled with eagles, a US flag and vaporous images.
“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and it had to do with the Red Cross,” Trump said. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. A lot better.”
He blamed the “fake news” for any confusion over the image, though it drew criticism from a wide range of people, including some of Trump's own evangelical supporters, who objected to the notion that Trump was likening himself to Christ.
The post was deleted from Trump's account late Monday morning. Trump did not provide details on how that happened.
Portraying oneself as Jesus Christ is generally considered blasphemous according to Catholic and broader Christian dogma, with some leeway for respectful dramatic or religious films, plays or reconstructions.
Even Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian assailed the “desecration of Jesus" while also speaking up to defend the pope.
“His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran, and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person," Pezeshkian said in a post on X.
"I wish you glory by Allah," he concluded.
In Islam, Jesus or Isa is considered a major religious figure and one of God's messengers on Earth.
Pontiff of peace
While it is not unusual for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it is rare for the pontiff to directly respond to world leaders.
Trump's stinging response is equally uncommon, as Washington's relations with the leader of the Catholic Church, which numbers some 1.4 billion faithful worldwide, have been generally cordial.
There are approximately 72 million Catholics in the United States, or about 20% of the adult population.
Trump's Vice President JD Vance is Catholic and has recently published a book on his conversion to the faith.
He is also one of the last people to see late Pope Francis in person, having met him briefly last Easter Sunday. Pope Francis died the following morning.
The Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV was elected in April 2025 following the death of Pope Francis.
The conclave elected him after four ballots over two days — one of the shortest papal elections in modern history, shorter than the five ballots that elected Pope Francis in 2013.
He has outlined peace, justice and truth as the pillars of Vatican diplomacy under his papacy.
In a speech in January, the pope denounced what he called "diplomacy based on force" and in his Easter blessing he urged "those who have the power to unleash wars" to "choose peace."
According to Catholic Church records, the last time a pope explicitly called for and approved a war was Pope Urban II in 1095, when he launched the First Crusade.
Last week, Washington found itself accused of exerting pressure on the Vatican after media reports that the Holy See's envoy to the US had been invited to a private meeting that turned sour.
According to reports, US officials threatened the pontiff with an Avignon Papacy, a dark moment in Europe's history when the French crown used violence to move the seat of the Catholic Church to France to exert control and influence over its faithful.
Washington and the US and Holy See envoys have all rejected the reports as false.
