Trump renews attacks on Pope Leo over Iran war, accuses him of endangering Catholics

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — President Donald Trump on May 5 continued his series of social media and verbal attacks on Pope Leo XIV, accusing him in a radio interview of “endangering” Catholics through his opposition to the Iran war.

Trump claimed in an interview that aired May 5 with Hugh Hewitt, a conservative talk radio host, that “the pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

“I don’t think that’s very good,” Trump said.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that Pope Leo, the first U.S.-born pontiff, supports Iran having nuclear weapons; however, the pontiff never made any such statement and has consistently called for the rejection of nuclear weapons.

The president accused the pontiff of “endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people” by opposing the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.

“But I guess if it’s up to the pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump claimed.

In comments May 5 to journalists in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Pope Leo said that ever since his election, the anniversary of which is days away, “I said, ‘Peace be with you,’ and the Church’s mission is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace.”

“If anyone wishes to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so with the truth,” Pope Leo said. “The Church has spoken out for years against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt about this, and I simply hope to be heard for the sake of the Word of God.”

In his initial social media post criticizing the pontiff, Trump called Pope Leo “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.”

Pope Leo has been a staunch critic of war generally, including the one initiated by the U.S. and Israel against Iran on Feb. 28. Catholic bishops defending the pope have pointed to the Church’s just war doctrine, which as stated in the Church’s catechism on “safeguarding peace,” says legitimate defense by military force is only morally permissible under strict conditions that are all present at one and the same time: the “lasting, grave and certain” damage from the aggressor, the exhaustion of all other efforts to end such damage, “serious prospects of success,” and the use of arms such that graver evils and disorders are not produced.

In defense of their combat operations, the Trump administration has argued the Iranian regime presented grave nuclear threats. The war began before another round of U.S.-Iran negotiations that had previously been expected to take place in Vienna, and in the aftermath of last year’s U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities. Regarding those June 2025 strikes, Trump said at the time they “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

Trump’s comments to Hewitt come just days before Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is Catholic, is expected to meet with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

In response to a question at the White House on May 5 about whether the planned meeting is an attempt to “smooth things over with the pope,” Rubio disputed that characterization, saying there are “shared concerns” he plans to discuss such as religious freedom, notably in Africa, and the distribution of humanitarian aid to Cuba.

“We gave Cuba $6 million of humanitarian aid, but obviously, they won’t let us distribute it,” Rubio said. “We distribute it through the Church. We’d like to do more. We’re willing to give more humanitarian aid to Cuba, by the way, distributed through the Church; but the Cuban regime has to allow us to do it. They won’t allow us to give their own people more humanitarian aid, and we’re willing to do it through the Church. So there’s a lot to talk about.”

Asked about Trump’s comments to Hewitt, Rubio said, leaving the pope “aside,” Trump opposes Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.

“What do you think they would do if they had a nuclear weapon? They would hold the world hostage with that nuclear weapon,” Rubio said. “That’s what they would do.”

Trump’s latest attack on the pontiff came after Hewitt asked him about Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong’s prominent Catholic media tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner who is serving a 20-year sentence after a conviction on charges under the city’s controversial national security law. U.S. lawmakers have called the charges and conviction unjust, arguing they are evidence the Chinese Communist Party is seeking to silence dissent.

Hewitt said he wished the pope would speak about Lai.

Pope Leo met with Lai’s family members after the general audience Oct. 15.

The Iran war is broadly unpopular with Americans. A Marquette Law School national survey published April 22 found 63% said there were not sufficient reasons to go to war against Iran compared to just 36% who said there were. Just 32% said they approve of the way Trump has handled the war, while 68% said they disapprove.

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