After war of words on Iran, Pope Leo says he’s not interested in a debate with Trump

Pope Leo

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The Chicago-born pontiff’s 11-day Africa tour was at times overshadowed by Trump, who criticized Leo several times last week, apparently angered by his forceful advocacy for peace with Iran.

At a prayer meeting in Cameroon on Thursday, Leo said the world was “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” and lambasted leaders who spend billions on wars.

But speaking aboard the papal plane on Saturday, Leo disputed any suggestion that the remark was a direct rebuke of Trump’s actions in Iran.

He told reporters that the words were prepared “weeks ago, long before the president made any comments about myself and the message of peace that I promote.”

“It looked like I was trying to debate the president, which is not in my interest at all,” Leo said.

He reiterated his wish to “promote peace in our world”, but stressed that the main objective of his trip was “to be with, to celebrate with, to encourage and to accompany all Catholics across Africa”.

The leader said a narrative “that has not been accurate in all aspects” has developed “because of the political situation created on the first day of the trip,” apparently referring to Trump’s messages last Sunday, in which he called the pope “WEAK on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy.”

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NBC News asked Pope Leo about Trump comments

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“I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime, I guess,” the president told NBC News that day at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

On Monday, Leo told NBC News aboard the papal plane that he had “no fear of the Trump administration” and pledged to uphold his calls for peace, which he said were rooted in the gospel.

He had said: “We are not politicians, we do not approach foreign policy with the same perspective that he might understand it, but I believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker. »

The dispute between the two men has since attracted Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019. Vance said Tuesday at a Turning Point USA event that Leo should “be careful” with his remarks, also bringing up a religious doctrine he called “just war theory.”

“In the same way that it is important that the vice president of the United States be careful when I speak about matters of public policy, I think it is very, very important that the pope be careful when he speaks about matters of theology,” Vance had said.