President of the United States Donald Trump Tensions escalated between the White House and the Vatican on Monday when he lashed out at Pope Leo XIV, saying he was “weak on crime” and had a “bad foreign policy.”Trump has criticized the pope’s stance on global issues, specifically accusing him of being soft on Iran’s nuclear ambitions and opposing U.S. military action abroad. He also took aim at the pope’s comments about the Trump administration, saying Leo emphasized “fear” about his presidency while ignoring the restrictions the church faces during the coronavirus pandemic.“Pope Leo was weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy. He talked about the ‘fear’ of the Trump administration, but did not mention the fear of the Catholic Church and all other Christian organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they arrested priests, priests and everyone else for holding church services even when they were outside and ten or even twenty feet apart,” the US president said on the Truth Society website.The US president further claimed that he did not want a pope who he viewed as supporting Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons or criticizing US actions in countries such as Venezuela. Trump has defended his record, saying his administration has achieved record low crime rates and strong stock market performance, and claimed he was on track to deliver an election victory. “I don’t want the Pope to think it’s acceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons. I don’t want the Pope to think it’s terrible for the United States to attack Venezuela, a country that is sending huge amounts of drugs to the United States and, worse yet, emptying their prisons of murderers, drug dealers and killers into our country. I also don’t want the Pope to criticize the President of the United States because I am doing exactly what I was elected to do, in LANDSLIDE, set new lows in crime and create the greatest stock market in history,” he added in a lengthy post on the social media platform.In a personal attack, Trump said he preferred the pope’s brother, saying he was aligned with his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. He also claimed that Leo’s ascension to the papacy was unexpected and suggested that it was influenced by his own presidency.Trump further lashed out at the pope, telling him to “get his act together” and focus on religious leadership rather than politics, warning that such a stance was damaging the Catholic Church.It comes after Pope Leo XIV made a strong appeal for peace on Saturday, urging world leaders to end ongoing conflicts and reject what he said was a growing culture of power and aggression. “Enough of the worship of self and money! Enough of the displays of power! Enough of the wars!” said the 70-year-old American pope, warning people against what he called “the illusion of omnipotence” that is becoming increasingly unpredictable and dangerous.Leo called for a shift to dialogue, saying leaders must choose negotiation over militarization. “We shout to them: Stop! It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation – not at the table of planning rearmament and deciding on lethal actions,” he said. He also cautioned against invoking religion to justify violence, adding that even “the holy name of God… is dragged into discussions of death” and stressing that “true power is demonstrated in the service of life.“The comments come amid broader disagreements between the two leaders, with Pope Leo recently urging restraint and diplomacy in global conflicts, including ongoing tensions involving Iran.
