From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Trump doubles down in criticizing Pope Leo over Iran
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleUS President Donald Trump, whose war and immigration policies have been condemned by Pope Leo, reiterates his criticism of the religious leader.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump urges that “will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months” and that “for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.”
Trump’s comments come after Pope Leo warned earlier in the day of the risk of democracies sliding into “majoritarian tyranny.”
The first US pope, Leo wrote in a letter issued by the Vatican about the use of power in democratic societies, and said democracies remained healthy only when they were rooted in moral values.
The pope has criticized Trump’s decision to launch the war against Iran, saying God rejects the prayers of those who launch wars and have “hands full of blood.” The pope termed Trump’s threat this month to destroy the Iranian civilization as unacceptable and previously declined to join the US president’s so-called “Board of Peace” initiative for Gaza.
President Trump continues to lash out at Pope Leo on Truth Social. pic.twitter.com/BxeSQCZDRo
— Politics & Poll Tracker ???? (@PollTracker2024) April 15, 2026
The religious leader has also urged a “deep reflection” on the way migrants are treated in the US while Trump has pursued a hardline immigration policy.
On Sunday, Trump called the pope “weak” and “terrible” on crime and foreign policy issues.
The Times of Israel Community.