Pope Leo XIV has sharply condemned the US-led military campaign in Iran, calling it “atrocious” and warning against a “delusion of omnipotence” driving the conflict. In a forceful appeal during a Saturday vigil at St. Peter’s Basilica, the pontiff urged world leaders to find a peaceful “off-ramp” and end what he called “the madness of war.”
“Stop! It is time for peace,” Pope Leo declared, addressing both American and Iranian leaders as diplomatic envoys met in Islamabad to seek an end to six weeks of fighting. “Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned.”
“Enough of war!”
The 67-year-old pontiff — the first American-born pope and a former Archbishop of Boston — has emerged as one of the most outspoken global critics of the Iran conflict. Known for his measured public language, Leo has nonetheless escalated his rhetoric in recent weeks, decrying the use of religious justification for war and warning that “the idolatry of self and money” was fueling global instability.
At the vigil, he read aloud excerpts from letters written by children in conflict zones that, he said, described “horror and inhumanity.” The Pope added, “Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!”
Trump: The Pope is “weak”
In posts on Truth Social over the weekend, US President Trump called Leo “WEAK on Crime,” later sharing — and deleting — an AI-generated image depicting himself as a “Christ-like” savior figure. Trump later told reporters that the image was meant to depict him as a doctor saving people.
Speaking to reporters aboard the papal flight to Algiers on Sunday, Leo said he had “no fear” of Trump or his administration’s criticism and would continue “to preach the Gospel message: Blessed are the peacemakers.” Pope Leo cited the late John Paul II’s 2003 appeal against the Iraq invasion — a reminder, he said, that “the Church does not bless war.”
Trump, meanwhile, doubled down on Monday, saying he had “nothing to apologize for” and insisted the Pope was “wrong” about the war.
In an interview with Fox News, Vice President JD Vance suggested that the Vatican should “stick to matters of morality” and “what’s going on in the Catholic Church,” while leaving the US president to dictate “American public policy”.
As the highest-ranking Catholic in the federal government, Vance downplayed the tension as “not particularly newsworthy,” stating it is “totally reasonable” for the administration and the Vatican to disagree on substantive questions from time to time.
Vance characterized Trump’s deleted AI-generated “Jesus-like” image as a “joke” and “humor” that many people simply did not understand. He praised the president for being “unfiltered” and liking to “mix it up” on social media.
When asked about reports that senior Pentagon officials had issued threats to the Vatican’s ambassador, Vance called the claims “unconfirmed” and “uncorroborated” but pledged to investigate the matter.
What were the reactions?
Church leaders in the United States have come to Leo’s defense. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City and Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester both rebuked Trump’s comments, with Barron calling them “entirely inappropriate and disrespectful.”
The Pope has also been critical of the administration’s immigration stance, questioning whether its policies could be considered “pro-life”. Trump has also famously clashed with Pope Francis a decade earlier over the US-Mexico border wall.
ABC News pointed out that President Trump is not the first US leader to have tense relations with the Vatican. In 1993, President Bill Clinton sparred with Pope John Paul II over abortion policy, and in 2001, during his first meeting with President George W. Bush, the pontiff urged him to “reject” human embryonic stem-cell research.
Pope Leo postpones planned US visit
Pope Leo XIV has indefinitely postponed his planned visit to the US for the country’s 250th anniversary in July 2026.
Instead of visiting the US, the Pope scheduled a trip to Lampedusa on July 4, 2026, to meet with African refugees, a move widely seen as a symbolic rebuke of Trump’s immigration policies.
