Pope Leo downplays reports of feud with Trump

Published: 2026-04-18 12:25:18 ET DJT

Published on 04/18/2026 at 12:25 pm EDT - Modified on 04/18/2026 at 12:44 pm EDT

STORY: :: Pope Leo tells reporters that debating Trump 'is not my interest at all'

:: April 18, 2026

"At the same time, there's been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of these 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 myself. Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said. 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. Yet as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate, again, the president, which is not my interest at all."

Speaking to reporters aboard his flight to Angola for the third leg of his ambitious 10-day Africa tour, the first U.S. pope said comments he made two days earlier in Cameroon decrying that the world was being "ravaged by a handful of tyrants" were not aimed at Trump.

That speech, said Leo, "was prepared two weeks ago, well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting."

On Sunday, as Leo prepared to embark on his tour, Trump called him "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy" in a post on Truth Social. Trump also posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure, drawing widespread criticism even from some religious conservatives who typically support him. The post was removed on Monday morning.

Trump appeared to be responding to Leo's growing criticism in recent weeks of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Pope Leo told Reuters on Monday that he would keep speaking out about the war, and Trump reiterated his criticism on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Pope Leo blasted leaders who spend billions on wars and said the world was "being ravaged by a handful of tyrants," though he did not mention Trump directly again.