US President Donald Trump has once again strongly criticized the Pope (Leo XIV), saying in an interview that the pontiff thinks it’s “normal” for Iran to have nuclear weapons. Trump says that this could put millions of Catholics at risk. The Vatican’s Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, responded to the accusations by saying that the Pope is still going strong with his mission to spread peace, even with all the unwarranted criticism he’s been getting. The conflict has escalated against the backdrop of preparations for Marco Rubio’s visit to the Vatican (May 6–8) and previous disputes over migration and Trump’s threats to destroy Iranian civilization.
Trump has gone after the Pope again. He said the Pope thinks it’s fine for Iran to have nukes. The Independent reported the incident.
Trump goes on the attack against the Pope: more of the same
This time, Donald Trump is accusing the Pope of putting many Catholics in danger. The US president said that the Pope thinks it’s normal for Iran to have nukes.
So, Trump keeps stirring up trouble between the Pope and Leo XIV.
The US president started criticizing the Pope during an interview about the imprisoned Hong Kong businessman Jimmy Lai.
When the interviewer suggested that the Pope should mention Lai’s release, Trump got upset.
“Well, the Pope would rather talk about how it’s normal for Iran to have nuclear weapons. I don’t think that’s very good. I think he’s putting a lot of Catholics and other people at risk. He thinks it’s totally normal for Iran to have nukes,” the US president said.
The Vatican has already responded to Trump’s statement. Ansa, the Italian news agency, reports that Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See and the Vatican, said that “the Pope follows his own path. He preaches the Gospel and peace, as St. Paul would say, at every opportunity, whether it is appropriate or not.”
Trump’s criticism was totally out of place, since Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet the Pope in Italy this week. He’ll be here from May 6 to 8. The US wants to develop relations with Italy and the Vatican.
Over the past few weeks, Donald Trump has spoken with the Pope a bunch of times. They have a lot of different views, especially on topics like war and immigration.
Last month, the Pope said he didn’t agree with Trump when he threatened to destroy an entire civilization in Iran. He said Trump’s words were “unacceptable.” The US President hit back at the Pope, calling him “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy.” Trump also said he preferred the Pope’s brother, Louis.
Before this, the Pope said he wasn’t afraid of the Trump administration and made it clear he wasn’t looking for any trouble.