Pope Leo Pledges to Continue to Speak Out Against War After Trump Attack

Monday, 13 April 2026 11:05 AM

Pope Leo XIV says he will continue to speak out against war and suffering after US President Donald Trump said he was not “a fan of the pope” over the pontiff’s condemnation of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran.

The Pope told reporters aboard the papal flight to Algiers on Monday that he plans to continue speaking out against war after Trump's direct attack on the leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church.

He stated that while he will not stop spreading his message of peace, he has no desire to get into a debate with Trump.

"I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems," he said.

"Too many people are suffering in the world today … Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there is a better way," he added.

During a Q&A with reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump directly attacked the Pope saying, “We do not like a pope that is going to say that it is OK to have a nuclear weapon … He is a man that does not think that we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world,” adding, “I am not a fan of Pope Leo.”

Iran has asserted that it pursues a peaceful nuclear program and, as such, not only has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) but also has allowed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to fully inspect its nuclear facilities.

The IAEA has repeatedly confirmed that it has found no sign of a nuclear military program in Iran and that Tehran has conformed to all of the agency’s laws.

The criminal US-Israeli aggression on Iran began on February 28 with airstrikes that assassinated senior Iranian officials and commanders, including Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Iranian armed forces responded by launching almost daily missile and drone operations targeting locations in the Israeli-occupied territories as well as US military bases and assets across the region.

On April 8, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) announced that there was an agreement to a Pakistan-brokered temporary ceasefire after the US accepted Iran’s 10-point proposal.

A massive firestorm of condemnation has erupted after President Donald Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV and shared an image of himself as Jesus Christ.

A high-ranking delegation from Iran led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf arrived in Islamabad on Friday to participate in the negotiations with the US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance.

The first round of negotiations between Iran and the US ended without the two sides reaching an agreement.

The talks over the weekend were the first direct high-level negotiations between Tehran and Washington since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran.