US bishops’ president ‘disheartened’ by Trump attack on Pope Leo

President Donald Trump publicly attacked Pope Leo XIV on social media Sunday evening, calling the pontiff “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” in a lengthy post that appeared to be reacting to the Holy Fatherʼs recent appeals for peace and an end to war.

In comments to reporters at Joint Base Andrews shortly afterward, Trump said: “I donʼt think heʼs doing a very good job. … I am not a fan of Pope Leo.” He added: “Heʼs a very liberal person.”

Trump accused Leo of being soft on Iran and criticized the popeʼs opposition to U.S. military operations. “I donʼt want a Pope who thinks itʼs OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” the president wrote. He also criticized the pope for opposing the U.S. intervention in Venezuela that ousted President Nicolás Maduro in January.

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Pope Leo XIV on Dec. 28, 2025. Photo from Vatican Media

Leo has not said Iran should possess nuclear weapons. He has called the U.S.-Israel war in Iran “unjust” and on April 7 called Trumpʼs threat to destroy an entire “civilization” in Iran “truly unacceptable.”

Trump also claimed credit for Leoʼs election to the papacy in May 2025, writing: “He wasnʼt on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American.” He added: “If I wasnʼt in the White House, Leo wouldnʼt be in the Vatican.”

The post on Truth Social came hours before Leo was scheduled to depart Monday for an 11-day trip to four African countries, and one day after the pope presided over a globally broadcast prayer vigil for peace at St. Peterʼs Basilica.

US bishops’ leader: Pope ‘is not his rival’

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said he was “disheartened” by President Donald Trumpʼs public attack on Pope Leo XIV, defending the pontiff as the Vicar of Christ who speaks for the Gospel and the care of souls.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City issued a brief statement late Sunday in response to Trumpʼs lengthy social media post calling the pope “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”

“I am disheartened that the President chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father,” Coakley said. “Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls.”

The president said he preferred the popeʼs older brother, Louis Prevost, a Port Charlotte, Florida, resident who has described himself as a “MAGA type.” “I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA,” Trump wrote.

Trump also criticized Leo for meeting April 9 with David Axelrod, a former chief strategist for President Barack Obama, calling Axelrod “a LOSER from the Left.” The Vatican has previously confirmed the audience but did not disclose what was discussed.

Trump also posted an image that commentators said depicted him as Jesus Christ, wearing a biblical-style robe and laying hands on a bedridden man as light emanates from his fingers, while admirers look on and eagles and military jets fill the sky above an American flag.

The public clash comes after weeks of growing friction between the White House and Catholic leaders since the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran on Feb. 28.

Pope Leoʼs appeals for peace intensified over Holy Week, culminating in Saturdayʼs vigil, where he denounced a “delusion of omnipotence” and warned that “the holy Name of God” was being “dragged into discourses of death.”

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At a special Mass for Peace held in Washington on April 11, Cardinal Robert McElroy argued that the current war fails to meet the strict criteria of just war theory, particularly in light of civilian suffering and the risk of disproportionate harm.

The Vatican has not yet publicly responded to Trumpʼs post. The pope is expected to arrive in Algiers on Monday.

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