Pope Leo XIV sought to correct a media narrative Saturday that he was criticizing President Donald Trump through various recent remarks advocating for peace.
Traveling to Angola for the third leg of his apostolic visit to Africa — the third trip outside Italy since his pontificate began in May 2025 — Leo greeted reporters aboard the papal plane and answered their questions. While the 10-day trip to the Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea was long-planned, the fall-out from an aggressive Sunday post by Trump to Truth Social lambasting the pope threatened to overshadow His Holiness’s mission to “primarily come to Africa as pastor, as the head of the Catholic Church, to be with, to celebrate with, to encourage and accompany all of the Catholics throughout Africa.”
“There’s been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects, but because of the political situation created when on the first day of the trip the president of the United States made some comments about me,” the American-born supreme pontiff said. “Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said.”
Aboard a flight to Angola, Pope Leo XIV noted that “a certain narrative…has not been accurate,” during his trip to Africa. He referred to the coverage of President Trump’s comments about him, adding that his words at the Peace Meeting in Cameron were “prepared two weeks ago.” He… pic.twitter.com/rXUQvz826R
— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) April 18, 2026
“Just one little example: the talk that I gave at the prayer meeting for peace a couple of days ago was prepared two weeks ago, well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting,” he continued. “And yet as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate again the president, which is not in my interest at all.”
Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, later praised the pope hours after his comments. He previously acknowledged differences between the Administration’s priorities and methods and those of the Holy See, but expressed that continued dialogue and understanding would strengthen the relationship between the two powers.
“I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this. While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict–and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen–the reality is often much more complicated,” he wrote in a Sunday evening X post. “Pope Leo preaches the gospel, as he should, and that will inevitably mean he offers his opinions on the moral issues of the day. The President–and the entire administration–work to apply those moral principles in a messy world. He will be in our prayers, and I hope that we’ll be in his.”
I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this. While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict–and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen–the reality is often much more complicated.
Pope Leo preaches the gospel, as he should, and that will inevitably mean he… https://t.co/SxWCKyhDSj
— JD Vance (@JDVance) April 18, 2026
The remarks by the Holy Father signify the latest attempt to move on from the perceived rift between the spiritual shepherd of the Catholic Church and the leader of the world’s most powerful country. The U.S.-led military operation ordered by Trump against the Iranian regime moved Pope Leo to continually call for peace. Echoing long-standing positions of the Holy See, the pope criticized armed conflicts throughout the world, favoring dialogue over the use of force to end, for example, the charged exchanges of both rhetoric and arms in the Middle East.
President Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly declared his intention to prevent the Iranian regime from obtaining nuclear weapons by any means necessary. The commander in chief has defended against criticism of the U.S. military’s execution of Operation Epic Fury by warning of the risks to global security and countless lives if Iran is able to make good on its threats against, chiefly, the U.S. and Israel. The pope’s clear preference for diplomacy was seemingly at odds with Trump’s perspective that Iran had not sufficiently embraced the repeated outreach of the United States, and that there was no other option left to neutralize the regime’s supposed imminent threat.
“I have no disagreement with the fact, the pope can say what he wants and I want him to say what he wants. But I can disagree,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “I think that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. If they do, the whole world would be in jeopardy. The Middle East will be blown up and the whole world will be in jeopardy.”
.@POTUS: “I want him to preach the Gospel, I’m all about the Gospel. But I also know you cannot let a certain country, which is a very mean-spirited country, have a nuclear weapon. If they did, they would use it… So the pope can disagree.” pic.twitter.com/dW6b3HnQov
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) April 16, 2026
“We’re very close to making a deal. That’d be a great thing. The pope has to understand, Iran has killed more than 42,000 people over the last few months. Think of it. Protestors, without guns, without anything. They were totally unarmed protestors. The pope has to understand that this is the real world,” he continued. “It’s a nasty world. But as far as the pope and saying what he wants, he can do that. … And I’m sure the pope is a great guy. I haven’t met him. But I disagree with the pope.”
A pretty amazing response from President Trump to this reporter question:
REPORTER: Iran is going to execute four more protesters, including the first woman protester. What do you tell Iran?
TRUMP: Tell that to the Pope. pic.twitter.com/K3jTlaMVX0
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) April 16, 2026
“I want him to preach the Gospel. I’m all about the Gospel, but I also know that you cannot let a certain country, which is a very mean-spirited country, have a nuclear weapon. If they did, they would use it, and I think they’d use it quickly, and they would kill many millions of people. So, you know, the pope can disagree with me on that, but certainly we’re allowed to have that. I’m all about the gospel. I’m about it as much as anybody can be, but I can’t allow— as president of the United States of America, I can’t allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. And here’s the story: they won’t have, they’ve already agreed not to have. That’s good news, and I think the pope will be very happy.”
Seemingly in response to a March 29 comment by Leo that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,” Trump blasted the pontiff on social media as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”
At the Vatican, Pope Leo took time to address the conflict with Iran and admonish those who wage war, suggesting that “He (God) does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them…” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the comments. pic.twitter.com/2mM7j8to6m
— EWTN News Nightly (@EWTNNewsNightly) March 30, 2026
“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 America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country,” he continued. “And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History.”
Leo responded Monday to Trump’s broadside, saying he had “no fear of the Trump administration,” and vowed to continue advocating for peace rather than distract from his ministry by debating the president.
“I have no fear of neither the Trump administration nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel.”
Pope Leo XIV said that he will continue to speak out “loudly” against war, stressing that his role is to preach the Gospel, not to enter into political disputes.… pic.twitter.com/p1yIIn8fuR— EWTN News (@EWTNews) April 13, 2026
“The things that I say are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone, and the message of the Gospel is very clear: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’” Leo told reporters. “I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do. We are not politicians, we don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker.”
Editor’s note: This breaking news report was updated with additional details, including a reaction by the vice president of the United States.
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