Pope Leo XIV Responded To Trump's New Criticism Of Him

• 6.05.2026, 8:07

What did the pontiff say?

Pope Leo XIV has responded to another "outburst" by US President Donald Trump by saying people are free to criticize him as he continues to advocate for peace amid the war in Iran.

This is reported by CNN.

"The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel and peace. If anyone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so on the basis of truth. The Church has been speaking out against nuclear weapons for years, so there's no doubt about it. I just hope to be heard because the Word of God is of great value," Pope Leo told reporters.

What preceded

The pope's comments came after Trump again criticized the pontiff a day earlier, saying without evidence that the pope "thinks it's fine for Iran to have nuclear weapons."

"I think he's endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people, but apparently if it's up to the pope. He thinks it's fine for Iran to have nuclear weapons," Donald Trump said.

In fact, however, the pontiff has never once said that Iran might have nuclear weapons. On the contrary, he has repeatedly called on all countries to renounce nuclear weapons.