“The things I say are not meant to attack anyone,” Pope Leo XIV said Monday as he flew to Algiers for a four-day African tour.
“I am not a politician. I am inviting all people to seek ways to build bridges of peace and reconciliation and to seek ways to avoid war whenever possible.”
Asked about his criticism of US President Donald Trump over the US-Israeli war with Iran, Leo responded that he is “not afraid of the Trump administration.”
What was the conversation between Pope and Trump?
President Trump, members of his administration, and many of his staunch supporters have invoked Christianity as a justification for attacking Iran.
At the Palm Sunday Mass on March 29, Leo said in his sermon, without mentioning any names: “This is our God: Jesus, the King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war… (Jesus) does not hear the prayers of those who dare to wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even if you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.'”
Last Saturday, he more directly referenced the US-Israel-led war in Iran, denouncing the “horror and inhumanity” and urging leaders to pursue diplomacy instead.
“Enough of the idolatry of self and wealth!” The Pontiff said. “Enough shows of power! Enough war!”
It was the latest statement that appears to have inspired Trump’s latest outburst against the Catholic Church leader on the Truth Social platform. He said Leo was “terrible” at foreign policy and said it was to deal with Trump that he was chosen as the first US Pope.
The president also said Leo “isn’t doing a very good job” and “he’s a very liberal guy,” while suggesting the Pope should “stop promoting the radical left.”
Leo appeared calm when giving his latest statement on the matter, telling reporters on the plane to Algeria that he would “not shy away from proclaiming the message of the gospel.”
“The message of the gospel is very clear: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.'”
Edited by: Louis Olofse