“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do.”  This was Pope Leo speaking to reporters in flight to Algiers on Monday April 13th, 2026.

This followed closely on a personalised attack on the pope by the US president:

“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy… I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”  President Trump said this on April 12th, calling the pope a ‘very liberal person‘.

How President Trump sees himself?

Later, according to CRUX, “Trump posted a picture suggesting he had saint-like powers akin to those of Jesus Christ. Wearing a biblical-style robe, Trump is seen laying hands on a bedridden man as light emanates from his fingers, while a soldier, a nurse, a praying woman and a bearded man in a baseball cap all look on admiringly. The sky above is filled with eagles, an American flag and vaporous images.”

This caused such an outcry from US Christian leaders generally that the president promptly deleted it – but not before it became part of the online visual record.

In fact, as the president should know, Pope Leo XIV with all popes since Word War II has called for nuclear disarmament by all powers.

“Nuclear arms offend our shared humanity and also betray the dignity of creation, whose harmony we are called to safeguard,” said the pope at the Vatican on August 5th 2025.

For the CRUX report of President Trump’s attack on Pope Leo on April 12th, click here.

For the CRUX report of Pope Leo’s response on April 13th, click here.