“I will continue to speak out loudly against war” – Pope Leo tells Trump

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President Trump and Pope Leo

Pope Leo XIV has said the Vatican appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel, and that he did not fear the Donald Trump administration.

Pope Leo made this known while pushing back against United States President Donald Trump’s broadside.

An Al Jazeera report stated, “I don’t want to get into a debate with him,” Leo said on Monday on board the papal flight to Algiers, where the first US-born pope is starting an 11-day tour to four African countries.

“I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote ⁠peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states ⁠to look for just ⁠solutions to problems,” he said, speaking in English.

“Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to ‌stand ‌up and say there’s a better way.”

Pope Leo has also boldly stated he has “no fear of the Trump administration” after he was asked about President Trump’s Truth Social post calling the pontiff “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy.”

The CBS News in a post stated, “Pope Leo says he has ‘no fear of the Trump administration” after he was asked about President Trump’s Truth Social post calling the pontiff “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy.”

“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, blessed are the peacemakers.”

His comments come on the back of President Donald ‌Trump launching a scathing attack on the US-born leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV.

According to Donald Trump, he is not a fan of Pope Leo’s and also labelled him as weak on ​crime and “terrible” for foreign policy.

A news story by Reuters stated, “U.S. President Donald ‌Trump issued a scathing attack on Pope Leo late on Sunday, calling him “weak” on ​crime and “terrible” for foreign policy after ​the religious leader criticised Trump’s foreign ⁠and immigration policies.

“Pope Leo is WEAK ​on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy,” ​Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social.

Leo, who is known for choosing his ​words carefully, has emerged as an ​outspoken critic of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran that ‌began ⁠on February 28.

The pope said this month’s threat from Trump to destroy Iranian civilisation was “unacceptable.” He has also called ​for “deep reflection” ​about the ⁠way migrants are being treated in the U.S. under ​the Trump administration.

“Leo should get his ​act ⁠together as Pope,” Trump wrote in his post, later telling reporters he was ⁠not ​a “big fan” of the ​pontiff”.

Also, CNN reports saying, “Elise Ann Allen, a Rome-based correspondent for Catholic media outlet Crux, said Trump’s comments were a sign he was “feeling threatened that Leo was emerging as a stronger figure on the international scene.”

“I think what is happening is Donald Trump is starting to feel the heat,” she told CNN. “(He) has to be careful, because he has to remember that it’s the moderate Catholics who got him elected in both elections.”

She said it was unlikely Leo, who is about to begin a 10-day papal visit to Africa, would hit back at Trump’s comments.

Shortly after Trump’s comments, the president posted an image to Truth Social depicting himself as a Christ-like figure healing a sick person with American flags and eagles in the background”.

See the post below: