A360
Key Takeaways✦ Atlas AI
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Pope Leo denies his 'tyrants' comments were aimed at Donald Trump.
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The Pope's speech was pre-written before Trump's criticism.
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Both leaders expressed a desire to avoid a political argument, though Trump stated he can disagree.
Atlas AI
Pope Leo said his recent comments criticising “tyrants” and the scale of wartime spending were not directed at US President Donald Trump, despite the remarks being widely read through the lens of their public dispute. Speaking to reporters aboard a flight to Angola on Saturday, the pontiff said the speech had been drafted a fortnight earlier, “well before the president ever commented on myself”. He added that he had no desire to be drawn into a political argument with Trump.
The clarification followed a sharp exchange that began earlier in the week. On Monday, Trump attacked the first American Pope, describing him as “WEAK on crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy”, and saying he was “not a big fan” of the Catholic leader.
Officials and observers linked the clash to the Pope’s criticism of the US-Israeli military operation in Iran and his concern about Trump’s warning that “a whole civilisation will die” if Iran did not accept US demands to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz.
Pope Leo said a “certain narrative that has not been accurate” had taken hold, pointing to “the political situation created” by Trump’s comments. He said his intention was not to debate the US president, but his words were interpreted that way. Trump later told reporters: “The Pope can say what he wants, and I want him to say what he wants, but I can disagree.”
The disputed language came from a speech delivered in Cameroon on Thursday, where the Pope criticised leaders who “turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found”. ” In the same address, he condemned “an endless cycle of destabilisation and death” in a “bloodstained” region of Cameroon affected by insurgency for nearly a decade.
In Washington, US Vice-President JD Vance responded to the Pope’s latest comments by saying he was “grateful to Pope Leo for saying this”. Vance, who converted to Catholicism as an adult, said media coverage often amplifies conflict even when “real disagreements have happened and will happen”. Earlier in the week, before the “tyrants” speech, Vance had urged the Vatican to “stick to matters of morality”.
The Pope’s remarks came as he continued an Africa tour that includes stops in 11 cities across four countries. It is his second major foreign visit since being elected to the papacy last year, and it underscores the weight of Catholicism on the continent. More than a fifth of the world’s Catholics—about 288 million people—live in Africa, according to figures from 2024.
