Head of US Catholic Bishops Condemns Trump Over Pope Leo Post [View all]

Source: Newsweek

Published. Apr 13, 2026 at 02:21 AM EDT. updated. Apr 13, 2026 at 04:00 AM EDT


The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has condemned President Donald Trump after he launched an extraordinary attack on Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night. “I am disheartened that the president chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father,” Archbishop Paul S. Coakley said in a statement.

“Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the pope a politician. He is the vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls.” In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump sharply criticized Leo, the first American pope, calling him "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy." He added: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”

The Context

Trump's post came after Leo denounced a "delusion of omnipotence" that he says is fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran while presided over an evening prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, the same day the U.S. and Iran began negotiations in Pakistan. He demanded political leaders stop fighting and negotiate peace. While Leo did not name Trump or the United States, his message appeared directed at the president and U.S. officials, who have boasted of U.S. military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.

Last week, he said Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilization was “truly unacceptable.” It comes after it was reported last week that Pentagon officials allegedly told a Vatican diplomat that the Vatican and Catholic Church should get on board with the Trump administration's military tactics. A spokesperson for the Department of Defense told Newsweek that the characterization of the meeting by the outlet the Free Press was "highly exaggerated and distorted."

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/head-of-us-catholic-bishops-condemns-trump-over-pope-leo-post-11818570