Pope Leo XIV responded on Monday to the unprecedented verbal attack by U.S. President Donald Trump, reaffirming his commitment to peace and with a strong message: “I am not afraid of the Trump administration”.
The president lashed out on Sunday against the pontiff, also an American, with a message on his social network Truth Social in which he calls him “weak against crime and terrible in foreign policy” and urges him to concentrate on being a good pope and not a politician.
“I don’t want a pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. I don’t want a pope who thinks it’s terrible that the United States attacked Venezuela (…). And I don’t want a pope who criticizes the president of the United States when I’m doing exactly what I was elected to do,” Trump said.
Pope Leo XIV responds to Trump
This is the full and exact quote from Pope Leo XIV, delivered in English to reporters aboard his flight to Algeria: “I am not afraid either of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel. And that is what I believe I am called to do and… pic.twitter.com/uV54nLwBmI
– ACI Prensa (@aciprensa) April 13, 2026
Leo XIV, who today began a tour of four African countries, did not hesitate to respond to questions from journalists on board the papal plane: “I will continue to raise my voice to build peace.
Calmly but firmly, Robert Prevost assured that he was not afraid of the politician.
No le tengo miedo a la Administración Trump ni a proclamar el mensaje del Evangelio en voz alta, que es para lo que creo que debo estar aquí y por eso está aquí la Iglesia. No somos políticos, no vemos la política exterior desde la misma perspectiva, sino como constructores de paz
Papa León XIV
His almost first year of pontificate has been characterized by a prudent tone in his statements on the international situation, although in recent weeks he has been insistent in calling for peace and conflict resolution through dialogue.
But he did openly criticize Trump’s threat to wipe out an entire civilization in his war with Iran: although without citing his name, the pope called it unacceptable and encouraged the faithful to “communicate” with congressmen to ask for peace.
In his first Holy Week as pontiff he has also denounced in his homilies “the dark hour” the world is living because of war and last Saturday, in a vigil for peace, he urged the rulers to “stop”, crying out against “the delirium of omnipotence” of some.
In this context, just three days ago the Vatican tried to dispel rumors of a bad relationship between Rome and Washington, after an unusual meeting in January with a Holy See diplomat at the Pentagon transpired.
Algeria, first stage
And on Monday in Algeria, his first stop on a trip that will also take him to Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, the pope again insisted on similar messages.
He affirmed that “God desires peace for every country” and cried out against the violation of international law and neocolonial temptations”, among other messages.
Precisely in Algeria, its president, Abdelmayid Tebún, told the pontiff that “in such a delicate context, the voice of His Holiness acquires an exceptional resonance and a unique moral authority”.
And in Italy, Trump’s disqualifications of the pope have outraged the entire political class, from right to left, and the country’s church, calling his words “wrong” and “unacceptable.”
The Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) has issued a statement to “deplore” the words of the president against the pontiff in Chicago.
Far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a well-known Trump ally on the European continent, has posted a message to wish that the pope “encourage conflict resolution” on his trip to Africa, subtle words interpreted as an endorsement of the pontiff following criticism from the American, whom she does not quote.
Even his vice president, Matteo Salvini, leader of the ultra-League and a daily defender of Trump, has come to the pope’s defense, assuring that attacking “a symbol of peace and spiritual guide of billions of Catholics” is “neither useful nor intelligent.”
The main opposition formation, the Democratic Party (PD, center left), has considered Trump’s words against the pope “unacceptable” and mark “a worrying leap in the degradation of political language,” in the opinion of Senator Beatrice Lorenzin.
Filed under: Pope Leo XIV responds to Trump
With information from EFE
