Donald Trump made a new set of criticisms against Pope Leo. He claimed that he’s “endangering a lot of Catholics” and is also “fine” with Iran having nuclear weapons. However, Pope Leo hit back at Trump’s claims, clarifying that the Church has never supported weapons and has consistently spoken out against them. The ongoing feud between the duo began when Pope criticized Trump’s administration over the Iran War situation.
Donald Trump criticizes Pope Leo ahead of Marco Rubio visit
In a conversation with host Hugh Hewitt, Donald Trump claimed that Pope Leo’s earlier comments appeared to be way too accommodating towards Tehran. He said, “The pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don’t think that’s very good. I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people.” He alleged that the pope is “fine” with Iran having nuclear weapons.
In light of the fresh criticism, Pope Leo addressed the media outside the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo. He debunked Trump’s allegations. He said, “Should anyone want to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, they should do so with the truth. For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there’s no doubt about it. So I simply hope to be listened to for the value of God’s word” (via The Washington Post)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently came out in support of Trump. Rubio revealed that the president’s comments have been interpreted wrongly. He said, “Well, I don’t think that’s an accurate description of what he said.”
Rubio believed that Trump probably meant that Iran can’t have nuclear weapons. It could be used to endanger the places where Catholics, Christians, and others reside. He debated that he and Trump cannot certainly understand why anyone would think it would be a “good idea” for Iran to have a nuclear weapon (via Al Jazeera).
Originally written by Shazmeen Navrange on Mandatory.
