Heading to Angola for a three-day visit, the Pope stated that he does not wish to engage in debates with Donald Trump. Previously, the U.S. president criticized the pontiff for his statements against the war with Iran.
Pope Leo XIV stated that he does not intend to engage in debates with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the war in Iran. According to the pontiff, his speech delivered in Cameroon about "tyrants ravaging the world" was written two weeks before Trump's criticism of him and was not addressed to the head of the White House. "But it was perceived as though I was trying to start a new discussion with the president, which I have no interest in," he told reporters aboard the plane on the way to Angola on Saturday, April 18.
The conflict between the Pope and the US administration
During a prayer vigil for peace worldwide on April 11, Leo XIV - the first American on the Holy See - urged leaders of warring nations to stop and sit at the negotiating table, "not at a table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided."
In response to his call, Donald Trump labeled the pontiff as "terrible" on foreign policy, stating on the Truth Social platform: "I don't need a pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I'm doing exactly what I was elected to do." The President also posted, then deleted, an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus, which drew criticism even from some religious conservatives who typically support him.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church clarified that the Vatican's calls for peace and reconciliation are based on the Gospel and that he is not afraid of the current US administration.
Leo XIV's trip to African nations
On April 13, the Pope embarked on an 11-day tour across African nations. He has already visited Algeria and Cameroon, with the next stops for Leo XIV being Angola and Equatorial Guinea.