The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has publicly criticized Pope Leo XIV, stating that his stance on Iran “puts many Catholics and many people in danger,” in statements made during an interview on the Salem News Channel.
“I believe he is putting many Catholics and many people in danger; for him, it’s fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump affirmed, reigniting tensions between Washington and the Holy See on international matters, in statements made during an interview on the Salem News Channel.
Criticism at a time of diplomatic tension
The statements by the U.S. president come just hours before the visit of Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the Vatican, in a context marked by disagreements between the North American Administration and the Pontiff in recent weeks.
According to available information, one of the objectives of this meeting would be precisely to mend relations between both parties after the clash of positions on international policy issues.
The Vatican’s response: “preach the Gospel and peace”
From the Holy See, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin responded to Trump’s criticisms by emphasizing that Pope Leo XIV maintains his line of action centered on proclaiming the Gospel and defending peace.
“The Pope follows his path, in the sense of preaching the Gospel, peace, as Saint Paul would say, at all times, opportune and inopportune,” Parolin stated to journalists, on the sidelines of an event held in San Giovanni Rotondo.
No forecast of a direct response from the Pope
The Secretary of State also indicated that it is not clear whether the Pontiff will respond directly to the accusations. “I don’t know if the Pope will respond; he probably won’t have the opportunity to do so,” he said, recalling that the last public opportunity was the meeting with journalists on April 13.
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In any case, Parolin insisted that the Pope’s position has not changed and remains in line with his mission: “He has given a very Christian response, saying that he is doing what his role demands, which is to preach peace.” The cardinal also acknowledged that not everyone shares that line: “Whether this pleases or not is another matter; we understand that not everyone is in the same position,” he affirmed.