Donald Trump has launched a new verbal attack against Pope Leon, accusing the Pontiff of “endangering many Catholics” because he “believes it’s okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons.” These comments from the American president came to light two days before US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meeting with the Pontiff at the Vatican, in an attempt to ease tensions caused by Trump’s previous attack on the Pope regarding his condemnation of the US-Israel war against Iran.
Trump against Pope Leon: “He would rather talk about the fact that it’s okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons”
Speaking to Hugh Hewitt, a prominent conservative radio host on the American Salem News network, Donald Trump said the Pope “would rather talk about the fact that it’s okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons and I don’t think that’s very good.” “I think he’s endangering many Catholics and many people,” the president added. “But I guess if it’s up to the Pope, he believes it’s okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons.”
Pope Leon XIV has never said that Iran should have nuclear weapons, but has repeatedly opposed the war against the country and the subsequent escalation of conflict in Lebanon and the broader Middle East, calling for ceasefire and dialogue.
What the US ambassador to the Holy See said
Brian Burch, US ambassador to the Holy See, said Tuesday that he expects a “frank” meeting between Rubio, a Catholic, and the Pope at the Apostolic Palace on Thursday morning. “Nations have disagreements and I think one of the ways you can overcome them is… through brotherhood and authentic dialogue,” he told reporters, adding that he believes Rubio comes to the Vatican “with that spirit, to have a frank discussion about US policy, to start dialogue.”
Burch said he doesn’t accept the idea that there’s a “deep rift” between the US and the Vatican, saying Rubio was coming so each side could “better understand each other and resolve whatever differences exist, certainly discuss them.”
The trip, which coincides with the first anniversary of Leon’s assumption of duties, was organized after Trump attacked the Pope in April, calling him weak and saying he didn’t do a very good job as Pontiff. Trump also shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure, before deleting it and saying it was actually a depiction of himself as a doctor.
Rubio: “There’s a lot to discuss with the Vatican”
Rubio later denied that his Vatican trip was meant to “smooth things over” between Pope Leon and Trump and tried to downplay the rift. “It’s a trip we had planned beforehand, and obviously we had some things that happened and no, look, there’s a lot to discuss with the Vatican,” he said.
US Marco Rubio will also try to improve relations with the Italian government, after Trump scolded Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who was one of his closest allies in Europe. She had criticized his comments against the Pope, the attack on her government for not supporting attacks on Iran, and the threat to withdraw American troops from Italy as a result.
Rubio will also meet with Vatican Secretary Pietro Parolin before meeting with Meloni and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Friday morning. US Catholic Vice President JD Vance also criticized the Pope, saying the Vatican should “stick to moral issues” and that Pope Leon should be careful when speaking about theology and war.
Marco Rubio and JD Vance attended Pope Leon’s inauguration last May, having a private audience with him the next day, during which they delivered an invitation from Trump to the White House, to which Leon has not yet responded.
