WASHINGTON: Donald Trump launched a sharp attack on Pope Leo XIV late Sunday, following the pontiff\u2019s criticism of his foreign and immigration policies. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leo, who became the first US-born pope last year, has been an outspoken critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran that began on February 28. He has also previously raised concerns about the Trump administration\u2019s stance on immigration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLeo should get his act together as Pope,\u201d Trump said in the same post, later telling reporters that he was \u201cnot a big fan\u201d of the pontiff.Trump further accused Leo of being \u201cweak on nuclear weapons,\u201d days after the pope condemned the US president\u2019s threat to destroy Iranian civilisation as \u201ctruly unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During a Palm Sunday address last month at St. Peter\u2019s Square in the Vatican, the pope stated that God does not accept the prayers of leaders who initiate wars and have their \u201chands full of blood,\u201d describing the conflict in Iran as \u201catrocious.\u201dLeo has also urged Trump to seek an \u201coff-ramp\u201d to end the conflict and reduce violence.In his Truth Social post, Trump suggested that Leo was chosen as pope last year \u201cbecause he was an American,\u201d claiming it was seen as a way to better deal with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Vatican did not immediately respond to requests for comment.The pope has also called for \u201cdeep reflection\u201d on how migrants are treated in the United States.Last year, Leo questioned whether Trump\u2019s strict immigration policies align with the Catholic Church\u2019s pro-life teachings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In September, he remarked, \u201cSomeone who says I am against abortion but I am in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life.\u201dThe Vatican leader\u2019s call for a more compassionate immigration approach\u2014echoing sentiments expressed by several of his predecessors\u2014contrasts with Trump\u2019s position that immigration from developing countries should be limited to reduce crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a very liberal person and he\u2019s a man who doesn\u2019t believe in stopping crime,\u201d Trump told reporters on Sunday night.Trump also had a strained relationship with Leo\u2019s predecessor, Pope Francis, who criticised Trump\u2019s immigration proposals during his first presidential campaign and suggested that Trump was \u201cnot a Christian.\u201d In response, Trump had called Francis \u201cdisgraceful\u201d in early 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump launched a sharp attack on Pope Leo XIV late Sunday, following the pontiff\u2019s criticism of his foreign and immigration policies. In a post on Truth Social, Trump… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[100,765,2005],"class_list":["post-3067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-donald-trump","tag-middle-east-conflict","tag-pope-leo"],"yoast_head":"\n