Pope Leo told Reuters on Monday that he plans to continue speaking out against war after US President Donald Trump's direct attack on the leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church.
In comments aboard the papal flight to Algiers, where the first US pope is starting a 10-day tour to four African countries, the pontiff also said the Christian message was being "abused."
"I don't want to get into a debate with him," Leo told Reuters as he greeted journalists on the plane. "I don't think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing."
'There's a better way'
"I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialog and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems," he said, speaking in English.
"Too many people are suffering in the world today," said Leo. "Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say: 'There's a better way'."
"The message of the church, my message, the message of the Gospel: Blessed are the Peacemakers. I do not look at my role as being political, a politician," he said.
Leo, originally from Chicago, has emerged as an outspoken critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran in recent weeks and decried the "madness of war" in a peace appeal on Saturday.
Trump, in an apparent response to the pope's criticisms of both the conflict and the White House's hard-line immigration policies, said late on Sunday that Leo was "terrible."
"Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump posts AI-generated image of himself as Jesus-like figure
US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure on Sunday, drawing widespread criticism even from some religious conservatives who typically support him, before deleting the post on Monday.
The post on Trump’s Truth Social platform, which Trump later said was meant to portray him as a doctor, came amid his escalating feud with Pope Leo, who has criticized the US-Israeli war against Iran as inhumane. Shortly before publishing the image, the president posted a lengthy screed against Pope Leo, calling him “WEAK on crime and terrible for Foreign Policy.”
Leo, the first US-born pope, said in response to Trump’s attacks that he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and would continue to speak out. In a forceful speech on Monday in Algiers, he denounced “neocolonial” world powers that are violating international law, without specifically naming the United States.
Sunday’s post, depicting Trump in a white robe with an apparently healing hand on a prone man's head, could create a rift between Trump and the religious right, whose support was critical to his victory in the 2024 election.
In the painting-like image, Trump holds a glowing orb in one hand and touches a seemingly sick man on the forehead with his other hand. The Statue of Liberty, fireworks, a fighter jet, and eagles could be seen in the background.
Trump denied on Monday that the image was intended to show him as a Jesus-like figure, calling it "fake news."
"It's supposed to be me as a doctor making people better, and I do make people better," he told reporters at the White House, soon after the post was deleted.
Brilyn Hollyhand, who served as the co-chair of the Republican National Committee Youth Advisory Council, wrote on X: “This is gross blasphemy. Faith is not a prop. You don’t need to portray yourself as a savior when your record should speak for itself.”
Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer and outspoken critic of transgender athletes in women’s sports who has appeared with Trump at rallies, wrote on X that she could not understand why Trump posted the image.
“Does he actually think this?” she wrote. “Either way, two things are true. 1) A little humility would serve him well. 2) God shall not be mocked.”
Christian voters, including Catholics, have formed a critical part of Trump's political base. Trump, who does not attend church regularly, won large majorities of Christian voters in the 2024 election, including Catholics, who had previously been closer to a split.
After Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt in July 2024, some evangelical supporters said it was evidence that he had been blessed by God.