Pope Leo says he has ‘no fear of the Trump administration’ and will continue to urge peace

Shortly after President Donald Trump wrote a scathing social media post criticizing Pope Leo XIV, the Pontiff told reporters April 13 that he is not afraid of the Trump administration or of calling for peace in the world. 

“I have no fear of the Trump administration, nor speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, that’s what I believe I am called to do, what the Church is called to do,” Pope Leo said during a short flight from Rome to Algeria when a journalist asked about the President’s remarks. 

“We’re not politicians,” the Pontiff continued. “We’re not looking to make foreign policy with the same perspective that he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the Gospel, ‘blessed are the peacemakers,’ is a message that the world needs to hear.”

On April 12, Trump posted to Truth Social a lengthy statement criticizing the Pope as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” as Zeale News reported. Trump also said the Pontiff “should get his act together as Pope” and “stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.” 

Vatican News reported that in a response to another journalist’s question about Trump’s statement, Pope Leo said during the Algeria flight that he does not view the Papal office as a political role. 

“I am not a politician, and I do not want to enter into a debate with him,” Pope Leo continued. 

The Pontiff said he will continue encouraging dialogue amid conflicts. 

“I do not think the message of the Gospel should be abused as some are doing,” he said, according to Vatican News. “I continue to speak strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, dialogue, and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems. Too many people are suffering today, too many innocent lives have been lost, and I believe someone must stand up and say there is a better way.”

Trump said in his April 12 post that Pope Leo “talks about ‘fear’ of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations” experienced during COVID when gathering for worship was heavily restricted and people who congregated could be arrested.

The President later said he does not “want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do.”

He also claimed credit for Pope Leo’s election and said the Pontiff should be grateful.

“He wasn't on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” Trump wrote. 

Bishop Barron says Trump’s statement was ‘inappropriate and disrespectful’

Trump’s April 12 statement was criticized by other Catholic leaders as well. Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, whom Trump appointed to serve on his Religious Liberty Commission, said April 13 that the President should apologize to Pope Leo and that his statements about the Pope “were entirely inappropriate and disrespectful.” 

“They don’t contribute at all to a constructive conversation. It is the Pope’s prerogative to articulate Catholic doctrine and the principles that govern the moral life,” he said in an X post. “In regard to the concrete application of those principles, people of good will can and do disagree.”

He recommended that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary Marco Rubio, Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch, and other Catholics in the Trump administration “meet with Vatican officials so that a real dialogue can take place. This is far preferable to the statements on social media.” 

Bishop Barron concluded his statement by saying he is “very grateful for the many ways that the Trump administration has reached out to Catholics and other people of faith” and that serving on the commission “has been a high honor.” 

“No President in my lifetime has shown a greater dedication to defending our first liberty,” he said. “All that said, I think the President owes the Pope an apology.”

More US bishops respond

Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), said April 12 that he is “disheartened” by Trump’s decision “to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father.” 

“Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician,” he added in the brief statement. “He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls.”

Bishop Michael Fisher of the Diocese of Buffalo, New York, backed Pope Leo’s efforts to promote peace. 

The Holy Father “rightly invokes the Gospel of Jesus Christ in calling for an end to the war with Iran and the suffering it has inflicted on so many innocent civilians — children, the elderly, and the most vulnerable — while perpetuating hatred and division that only serve to fuel generational conflict,” he said, according to WBEN NewsRadio 930AM. 

Bishop Fisher called on political leaders to make every effort to pursue peace. 

“With Pope Leo, I urge all who have the ability to bring about peace to come together and make it so,” he said. “This is not about politics but the very cause of humanity and our obligation to seek understanding, reconciliation, and pursue those mutual interests that bind us to one another, regardless of ethnic, racial or geographic divisions.” 

Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, said April 13 that along with the USCCB president and brother bishops, he also was “disheartened” by Trump’s remarks about the Pope and the Church. 

“I pray that civility and respect are fully restored as together, with God’s grace, we work for peace and harmony among all people,” Bishop Burbidge said. “May we also be united in our prayer for the end of war and violence so that Christ’s peace reigns throughout the world and in our hearts."

Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, said in an April 13 statement that he reaffirms that the Pope "serves a higher authority and desires to proclaim the Gospel faithfully and advance the Church's peaceful mission in a world deeply in need of healing."

He said Trump's recent statements and actions "convey a grave misunderstanding of the Holy Father's ministry and a troubling lack of respect for the faith of millions." The cardinal said that Pope Leo "will continue to speak clearly against war and other offenses against human dignity and to call for authentic dialogue, because the Church's witness is grounded in the peace of Christ, not in partisan interests."

Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez of the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, said in a statement that his diocese "forcefully rejects the disrespectful and violent attacks" Trump made against Pope Leo.

"These attacks also constitute a grave violation of the freedom of religion enshrined in the Constitution of the United States and, as such, harm the rights of American Catholic faithful," he added.

Archbishop James Golka of Denver emphasized the importance of charitable speech, stating that he stands with his brother bishops in saying Trump's comments against Pope Leo "are not acceptable."

"Such language fails to reflect the respect owed to the Successor of Peter and does not serve the common good," he said. "Pope Leo’s role is pastoral, not political. Even in moments of disagreement, we are called to speak with charity and to seek dialogue that builds up, rather than tears down."

He noted that the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that speech must be directed by both truth and charity and that rash judgment should be avoided.

"Catholic social teaching likewise calls us to uphold the dignity of every person," Archbishop Golka said, "and to engage in public life with civility and respect."

This is a developing story.