Pope Leo has firmly rejected allegations that he supports nuclear weapons, responding to a tirade from US President Donald Trump who accused the pontiff of endangering Catholics with his stance on the Iran conflict. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday night after departing his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, the first US-born pope declared, "The mission of the church is to preach the gospel, to preach peace."
Pope's Call for Honesty
Leo, who is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican on Thursday in an effort to ease tensions, made a plea for truth in political discourse. "If anyone wants to criticise me for proclaiming the gospel, let them do so with the truth: the church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, there is no doubt about that," he said. "I simply hope to be listened to because of the value of God's word."
Trump's Accusations
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that the pope would rather condone Iran having nuclear weapons, claiming Leo is "endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people." This is not the first clash between the two leaders. In April, Trump criticised Leo for opposing the US-Israel war on Iran, calling him "weak on crime" and "terrible on foreign policy," and even shared an AI-generated image of himself as a Christ-like figure before deleting it.
Escalating Tensions
Andrea Vreede, a Vatican correspondent for Dutch broadcaster NOS, noted that the pope had not planned to speak this week but felt compelled to respond. "Things have become really tense because Trump isn't talking about the church or Vatican, but Leo; he has made it personal," she said. "We're back to the middle ages when holy Roman emperors and popes did this kind of thing, used this kind of language."
Upcoming Diplomatic Meeting
The meeting with Rubio will be the first known private audience Leo has had with a Trump cabinet member since the secretary of state and Vice President JD Vance attended the pope's inauguration mass in May last year. US Ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, described the meeting as likely "frank," while Rubio has downplayed the rift, acknowledging "some stuff that happened" but emphasising there is "a lot to talk about with the Vatican." On Friday, Rubio is also set to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whom Trump berated in April after she criticised his remarks against the pope.
Vreede suggested the meeting may have an ulterior motive. "For Leo, it's important to have a photo moment with Rubio and then release a short statement saying they are continuing their dialogue and all want world peace," she said. "Privately, it won't be a nice talk, it cannot be a nice talk … but Rubio needs to keep the diplomatic channels with the Vatican open as he's thinking about himself ahead of the US presidential elections in 2028." She added that Trump's rivalry with Rubio may have triggered his latest outburst: "He believes in rivalry, in winning … perhaps he's trying to interfere with Rubio because Rubio is being a bit too diplomatic."
