“I am not afraid of him”: Pope Leo XIV responds to Donald Trump’s attacks from the air

The political and religious climate reached a new point of tension this Monday. Pope Leo XIV broke his silence after the recent disqualifications of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, ensuring that his mission is not to please leaders, but to proclaim the Gospel and build global peace.

“WE ARE NOT POLITICIANS”: THE VATICAN’S STANCE TOWARDS THE WHITE HOUSE

During his official flight to Algeria, the Supreme Pontiff was questioned by the press about Trump’s comments, who recently described him as “weak” and “terrible” for foreign policy.

“No, I am not afraid of the Trump administration, nor of proclaiming the message of the Gospel out loud. We are not politicians; we do not see foreign policy from the same perspective, but as builders of peace,” Leo XIV declared firmly before reporters.

The Pope defended his role on the international scene, stressing that the Church should not be seen as a political entity, but as a moral voice in the face of violence: “Too many people suffer today, too many innocent people have died, and I think someone must raise their voice.”

WHY DID THE CONFLICT START? TRUMP’S CRITICISM

The dispute escalated after the Catholic leader condemned the United States’ threats to “destroy an entire civilization” in reference to a possible attack against Iran. Given this, Trump used his social network, Truth Socialto launch an unprecedented verbal offensive against the successor of Pope Francis.

The key points of Trump’s attack:

• Iran and nuclear energy: Trump accused the Pope of being in favor of an Iran with nuclear weapons.
• Question of sovereignty: He criticized that the Pontiff questions military interventions in countries like Venezuela.
• Personal criticism: Trump claimed that Leo XIV was chosen by the Vatican thanks to his personal influence.

“Pope Leo is weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy. I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the president of the United States when I am doing exactly what I was elected to do,” the president published.

THE CONTROVERSIAL IMAGE OF AI: TRUMP AS A DEITY?

In addition to the textual attacks, Donald Trump generated a stir by sharing an image generated with Artificial Intelligence (AI). In the illustration, the president is seen personified as Jesus, performing the miracle of healing a sick person before the devoted gaze of a group of Americans.

This representation has deepened the gap between the president’s followers and the sectors of the Church that consider these comparisons as a distortion of the religious message.

DEFENSE OF MULTILATERALISM

Finally, Pope Leo XIV reiterated that he will not allow the Christian message to be distorted for political purposes. He assured that he will continue to promote dialogue and multilateralism with States to seek solutions to global problems, marking a clear distance from the unilateral vision of the current US administration.