Pope Leo Says Media Got It Wrong, Downplays Growing Clash With Trump

Pope Leo XIV seems to be trying to cool the temperature with President Donald Trump, or at least stop the world from treating every papal sentence like the opening bell of a cable news cage match. Speaking aboard the papal plane on his way from Cameroon to Angola, the head of the Catholic Church said a media "narrative" had taken hold that was "not entirely accurate" and insisted he was not looking to pick a fresh fight with the White House.

"As it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate the president, which is not in my interest at all," he said.

He added that a major peace address he delivered on April 16 had been drafted two weeks earlier, before Trump's latest attacks, undercutting the idea that the speech was a bespoke papal subtweet from 30,000 feet.

"The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild," he stated.

"Blessed are the peacemakers!" he said. "But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth."

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Pope Leo: "To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here I think is not understanding what the message of the gospel is." pic.twitter.com/LzePVkLduG

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 13, 2026

With his words, Leo XIV is drawing a line between preaching and politicking, even as Trump and his allies keep dragging him into a shouting match. He has repeatedly said his role is spiritual, not partisan, and that his message is the Gospel's call to peace. Earlier this week, after Trump unloaded on him, Leo said he had "no fear" of the Trump administration and would continue "to speak out strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems."

The conflict itself is rooted in Leo's criticism of war, especially the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, and in Trump's decision to take that criticism personally. In his Palm Sunday homily, the pope said, "Jesus is the King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war but rejects them." He paired that with Isaiah's warning, "Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood." For a pope, that is not exactly subtle.

"The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants," he also said in Cameroon, "yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters."

Trump's reaction was to go on attack mode against the pope. "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy." He also said, "I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon," and later told reporters, "I'm not a fan of Pope Leo." Asked whether he would apologize, Trump said no. "He went public," Trump said. "I'm just responding to Pope Leo." He also argued, "He was very much against what I'm doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran."

And because 2026 apparently insists on being 2026, the spat also included Trump posting an AI-generated image that many interpreted as depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure. Trump later claimed he thought the image showed him "as a doctor" and said critics simply did not understand the joke. Vice President JD Vance jumped in too, calling the post "a joke" and "a good thing" because Trump is "not filtered." That was the administration's theological defense, basically: relax, it was a meme.

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