&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'If anyone wants to criticise me, do so truthfully': Pope Leo slams Trump over Iran nuclear claims")
The Trump vs Pope feud is heating up again. Pope Leo XIV has publicly responded to US President Donald Trump's latest attack on him over the Iran war. Pushing back against Trump's repeated and baseless assertion that the Chicago-born pontiff supports Iran's right to develop nuclear weapons, the pontiff, without mentioning the POTUS' name, said, "If anyone wants to criticise me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully."
What did Trump say?
Trump made the claim again on Monday in an interview with Salem News Channel's Hugh Hewitt. "The pope would rather talk about the fact that it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don't think that's very good," Trump said. "I think he's endangering a lot of Catholics, and a lot of people, but I guess if it's up to the pope, he thinks it's just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon." Trump has made the claim multiple times; however, the Pope has not said anything of this sort publicly.
Also read | Fact check: Did the Pope endorse Iran’s nuclear ambitions? Decoding Trump’s latest Vatican attack
Pope slams Trump
Without naming Trump, Leo addressed the mischaracterisation directly. "I have already spoken from the first moment — 'Peace be with you.' The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace," he said, in remarks transcribed by Vatican correspondent Michael Haynes. "If anyone wants to criticise me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully. The Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, so there is no doubt about that."
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Previously, the Catholic Church had formally opposed all nuclear weapons for years, and Leo himself had specifically called for a world "free from the nuclear threat," urging world leaders to pursue "dialogue and diplomacy" rather than rearmament. At St. Peter's Basilica on April 12, he told gathered Catholics: "It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned, and deadly actions are decided."
Rubio's Vatican visit just got awkward
The timing of the exchange is notable. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Rome this week and meet with the pope Thursday morning. The State Department described the visit as an opportunity to discuss "the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere."
