Pope Leo XIV responded this Tuesday to the new criticisms from the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who accused him of endangering Catholics due to his stance on Iran and nuclear weapons.
“The Church’s mission is to proclaim the Gospel, to preach peace. If someone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so with the truth,” the Pontiff stated to journalists upon leaving Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo, as reported by Vatican News.
Read also. Trump lashes out again against the Pope: «he is putting many Catholics in danger»
Leo XIV denies any support for nuclear weapons
Trump had claimed that, for the Pope, it would be fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, an assertion that Leo XIV rejected by recalling the Church’s consistent position on this matter.
“The Church has been speaking out against all nuclear weapons for years, so there is no doubt about that,” the Pope noted.
The Pontiff added that he hopes to be heard “for the value of the word of God” and recalled that since the beginning of his pontificate he has insisted on the message of peace: “I have said: ‘Peace be with you’”.
A clash of statements before Rubio’s visit
The Pope’s words come on the eve of the visit to the Vatican by the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, scheduled for Thursday, May 7.
Leo XIV expressed his desire for the meeting to allow for “good dialogue” and help both sides to “understand each other well,” from a place of trust and openness.
The Pope qualified, however, that the topics planned for the meeting with Rubio would not be directly linked to the day’s controversy: “I think the topics he is coming for are not the ones from today. We’ll see…”.