Leo XIV: if Trump wants to criticize me, let him speak the truth

On Tuesday morning, Donald Trump once again repeated his criticism of Pope Leo XIV—just two days before his own Secretary of State is due to have an audience with the Pope.

In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump said that the Pope is “endangering many Catholics and other people.” According to Trump, the Pope “would rather talk about the fact that he thinks it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

On Tuesday evening, Pope Leo XIV responded to Trump’s remarks. Speaking to journalists, he said: “If someone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let him do so in truth. The Church has spoken out against all forms of nuclear weapons for many years, so there can be no doubt about that.”

The Pope added: “I have spoken about peace from the very moment I was elected—‘peace be with you’—and we are now approaching its first anniversary. The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Gospel, to proclaim peace. I simply hope to be heard for the value of the Word of God.”