The United States war with Iran continues to dominate domestic and international politics this week. A recent poll from CBS News found that the majority (64%) of Americans disapprove of President Trump’s handling of the conflict with Iran, up from 62% on March 22.
Recently, one of the most influential Americans and Villanova alumnus, Pope Leo XIV, has repeatedly publicly expressed his disapproval of the U.S. war with Iran. The Pope condemned the war in the Middle East and President Trump’s recent threats of violence against the Iranian population.
In a Truth Social post from April 7, Trump warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” regarding the war with Iran.
Just hours after the post, the Pope responded publicly.
“Today, as we all know, there was this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,” the Pope said to reporters outside his residence, according to Reuters.
While the Pope has avoided calling out the president by name, it seems Trump has not been blind to his remarks.
On Sunday night, the president took to social media to criticize the Pope, claiming he is “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy.”
Trump also wrote that he preferred The Pope’s brother, Louis, whom he found much better because he is “all MAGA.” The president then went on to claim the Pope was “catering to the radical left.”
“I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise. He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”
Shortly after the extensive post, the president shared an AI-generated image that appeared to depict himself as Jesus Christ.
In the graphic, he was wearing a white robe and healing a man who appeared to be sick. Trump has since removed the image, telling reporters at the White House he thought the image depicted him as a doctor.
“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with the Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support,” Trump said. “Only the fake news could come up with that one.”
In an interview with CBS News later that day, the president reiterated his decision to remove the image.
“I didn’t want to have anybody be confused. People were confused,” Trump said.
The president has received backlash from both prominent Christian and International leaders.
On Sunday night, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke out about President Trump’s actions.
“I am disheartened that the president chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father,” he said. “Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who previously had strong ties with President Trump, also released a statement on Monday, calling the president’s comments “unacceptable.”
“The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal that he calls for peace and condemns every form of war,” Meloni said.
The president also spoke to reporters on Monday about his criticism of the Pope, not issuing an apology for his remarks.
“Pope Leo said things that were wrong,” Trump said. “He was very much against what I am doing with regards to Iran, […] I’m just responding to Pope Leo. There’s nothing to apologize for. He’s wrong.”
Before departing for his 10-day trip to Africa, Pope Leo XIV stood tall against the president’s criticism, responding to the remarks on Monday morning.
“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do,” Leo XIV said to reporters aboard his plane. “We are not politicians, we are not looking to make foreign policy, as he calls it, with the same perspective that he might understand it. But I do believe that the message of the gospel, ‘blessed be the peacemakers,’ is a message that the world needs to hear today.”
The conflict between two prominent American figures highlights just one way the conflict with Iran has impacted both domestic and international politics. As the war continues, one can expect discourse surrounding the conflict to heighten.
