President Donald Trump has drawn a firm line in his escalating war of words with the Vatican, stating unequivocally that he has no intention of apologizing to Pope Leo. The public feud between the White House and the newly elected American-born pontiff got worse following a series of remarks over foreign policy and domestic issues.
Donald Trump says he won’t apologize to Pope
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Donald Trump refused to back down from his criticism of Pope Leo, describing the latter’s position as “wrong,” and suggesting the Pope would ultimately disagree with the outcome of US policies. “I won’t apologise to Pope Leo. I think he’s very weak on crime and other things,” Trump stated.
The President specifically addressed the Pope’s stance on Iran, adding, “Pope Leo said wrong things. He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran. Pope Leo would not be happy with the end result. You have hundreds of millions of people dead, and it’s not going to happen.” Trump also made a reference to the Pope’s family, noting, “His brother is a big MAGA person and he’s a great guy, Louis (via Al Jazeera).”
The whole confrontation began when Trump launched an all-out attack on the first American-born Pope in a lengthy post on Truth Social. In that message, Trump alleged that had he not been elected, the pontiff would not have been appointed following the passing of Pope Francis. The post characterized the Pope as “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy,” criticizing calls for peace amid war with Iran.
Despite the criticism from Washington, Pope Leo has made it clear he has no desire to engage in a political brawl. While traveling to Algeria for a 10-day apostolic journey, the pontiff responded to the provocations. “I have no intention of entering into a debate with Donald Trump. Rather, let us always seek peace and put an end to wars. I am not afraid of the Trump administration,” the Pope told journalists aboard his flight.
Originally written by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
