Pope Leo XIV said on Monday that he is not afraid of the White House, after US President Donald Trump directed harsh criticism at the head of the Catholic Church.
“I have no fear of the Trump administration,” the pope told reporters on a plane en route to Algeria, after provoking the president’s ire with criticism of the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran.
“I believe in the message of the gospel, as a peacemaker, and I will not hesitate to present it,” he added.
In a Twitter post, Trump accused the pope of being soft on crime and terrible at foreign policy, further deepening the rift between the White House and the Vatican.
The Pope rejected the criticism, stressing that he has no intention of entering into a debate with the president, writes Politiko.
The diplomatic tension also echoed in Italy, where leading politicians expressed their support for the pope.
Prime Minister Đorđa Meloni said that the service of the Holy Father should help resolve conflicts and restore peace between nations, while Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani emphasized that the pope’s words about Sudan are an important contribution to achieving a ceasefire and ending the three-year civil war.
