“I do not want to enter into a discussion with him. I do not
think the message of the Gospel can be misused the way some people do. I will
continue to speak out loudly against war, strive for peace, promote dialogue
and multilateral relations between states in order to find just solutions to
problems,” the pontiff said.
The pope’s remarks came after Trump attacked him on April 13
and later posted an image of himself as Jesus, deepening an extraordinary
public clash between the White House and the head of the Catholic Church.
“Pope Leo is weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy.
He talks about ‘fear’ of the Trump administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR
that the Catholic Church and all other Christian organizations had during
COVID, when priests, pastors and everybody else were being arrested for holding
church services,” Trump wrote.
Leo has recently criticized the U.S.-Israeli operation
against Iran and condemned what he called the “madness of war.”
“The message of the Church, my message, the message of the
Gospel is: blessed are the peacemakers. I do not see my role as political, as
that of a politician,” he told reporters.
On April 12, Leo condemned the “illusion of omnipotence”
fueling the U.S.-Israeli operation in Iran and urged political leaders to halt
the fighting and begin peace talks.
That message echoed an earlier anti-war sermon delivered on
Palm Sunday, March 29, when Leo addressed about 40,000 faithful in St. Peter’s
Square. He said God never justifies war and that the prayers of those who wage
wars and whose hands are stained with blood “do not reach heaven.”
The
Guardian wrote that Leo appeared to be reproaching Trump. The newspaper
also cited a prayer by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth about the permissibility of
violence against enemies “who deserve no mercy.”
The dispute has unfolded as U.S. diplomacy with Iran
falters. On April 11, Vice President JD Vance said talks with Iran ended
without an agreement to bring the war to a final end. He said Iranian
negotiators rejected U.S. terms that were “quite flexible.”