us President donald trump Pope Francis on Monday criticized Leo XIV, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy,” escalating tensions between the White House and the Vatican.Trump criticized the Pope’s stances on global issues, particularly accusing him of being soft on Iran’s nuclear ambitions and opposing US military actions abroad. He also took aim at the Pope’s comments about the Trump administration, saying Leo had exposed the “fear” of his presidency by ignoring restrictions on churches during the COVID pandemic.“Pope Leo is weak on crime, and terrible at foreign policy. He talks about the “fear” of the Trump administration, but doesn’t mention the fear that the Catholic Church and all other Christian organizations had when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everyone else just for holding church services, even going out, and staying ten or twenty feet away,” said the US president on Truth Social.The US President further claimed that he did not want a Pope who, in his view, supported Iran acquiring nuclear weapons or criticized US actions in countries such as Venezuela. Defending his own record, Trump said his administration has achieved record-low crime levels and strong stock market performance, insisting he is fulfilling the mandate of his election victory. “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have nuclear weapons. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that the United States invaded Venezuela, a country that was sending massive amounts of drugs into the United States and, worse, was emptying our country of our prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and murderers. And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because that’s exactly what I was elected to do. Landslides, setting record low numbers in crime and creating the largest stock market in history,” he added in a lengthy post on the social media platform.

In a personal dig, Trump said he liked the Pope’s brother, and described him as associated with his “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement. He also alleged that Leo’s promotion to the papacy was unexpected and suggested that it was influenced by his own presidency.Trump further took a dig at the Pope, calling on him to “get his act together” and focus on religious leadership rather than politics, warning that such positions are harming the Catholic Church.Later, speaking to reporters, Trump took more of a dig at the Pope, saying, “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. I think he likes crime… We don’t like a Pope who says it’s OK to have nuclear weapons. We don’t want a Pope who says it’s OK to have crime in our cities. I don’t like that. I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal guy, and he’s a guy who doesn’t believe in deterrence.” Crime. He’s a guy who doesn’t think we should mess with a country that wants nuclear weapons so they can blow up the world. I am no fan of Pope Leo…” Pope Leo XIV issued a strong appeal for peace on Saturday, urging world leaders to end ongoing conflicts and reject what he described as a growing culture of power and aggression. “Enough of the idolatry of self and wealth! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!” The 70-year-old American pope warned against what he called “the illusion of omnipotence” that is becoming increasingly unpredictable and dangerous.Also read: Donald Trump intends to launch limited attacks on Iran after talks failCalling for a shift towards dialogue, Leo said leaders should choose dialogue over militarization. He said, “We shout to them: Stop! It’s time for peace! Sit at the table of negotiation and mediation – not at the table where rearmament is planned and lethal action is decided.” He also cautioned against resorting to religion to justify violence, saying that even “God’s holy name… is being dragged into discourses of death,” and stressed that “true strength is shown in serving life.”“The comments come amid broader disagreements between the two leaders, with Pope Leo recently urging restraint and diplomacy in global conflicts, including the current tensions involving Iran.