Pope Leo responds to Trump criticism: ‘I am not afraid’

Pope Leo has responded strongly after Donald Trump criticized fiercely the head of the Catholic Church in a Truth Social post.

Speaking to X on Sunday, the US President censured Pope Leo XIV for his stance on the Iran war and being “WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy,” adding that he was not a “big fan of Pope.”

Trump told reporters, “We don’t like a pope that’s going to say that it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon … He’s a man that doesn’t think that we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world.”

In response, the Pope told reporters en route to Algeria that he is not afraid of Trump and does not want to get into a debate with the President.

"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," he told reporters.

"I don't want to get into a debate with [Trump]," he added, adding that his role is quite different from that of politicians; he is the one responsible for spreading the message of peace.

Pope Leo also emphasized that the world is burning in too many conflicts and people are suffering immensely. Eventually, too many people are being killed , losing their innocent lives.

“And I think someone has to stand up and say: there's a better way to do this,” he said.

Continuing the humanitarian legacy of his predecessor, Pope Leo has challenged Trump’s stringent immigration policy. According to the head of the Catholic Church, Trump’s blatant threat to wipe out the whole civilization regarding Iran is highly unacceptable.

Trump’s scathing attack on Pontiff drew criticism from Catholics around the world. According to Italian historian Massimo Faggioli, quoted by Reuters, "Not even Hitler or Mussolini attacked the Pope so directly and publicly.”