No pope in modern memory has criticised a sitting U.S. president as directly as Leo XIV has done since February 2026 — and none has faced the personal hostility that Leo is now receiving in return.
Pope Leo, the first American-born bishop of Rome, condemned the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran in a series of public statements beginning in March, calling the conflict unjust under Catholic just-war doctrine and demanding an immediate ceasefire. By April 12, 2026, President Donald Trump had labelled him "weak" and "terrible," claimed without evidence that Leo "wants Iran to have a nuclear weapon," and posted an AI-generated image of himself embracing Jesus — widely read as a rebuke to papal moral authority. The Vatican issued a flat denial of Trump's nuclear claim the same day.
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