Duel between the U.S. president and the Pope continues: Trump’s new statement

U.S. President Donald Trump has once again "attacked" Pope Leo XIV on his social media platform.

"Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed protesters in the last two months, and that Iran having a nuclear bomb is absolutely unacceptable," wrote Trump on Truth Social.

This post by Donald Trump is part of his sharp public dispute with Pope Leo XIV (the first pontiff of American origin), which has reached its peak in recent days.

The main reason for such a reaction from the U.S. president is the Pope’s calls for an immediate end to the war with Iran and his criticism of the Trump administration’s military strategy.

Since March, Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly spoken out against the escalation of the conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran. He has urged to "silence the guns" and criticized the "diplomacy of force," hinting at Washington’s policies.

When on April 7 Trump threatened Iran with an unprecedented strike, stating that "the entire Iranian civilization could perish," the pontiff called these threats "truly unacceptable," which infuriated the American leader.

Since Leo XIV (formerly Cardinal Sean O’Malley) is of American origin, Trump has repeatedly accused him of betraying national interests. At one of his rallies, Trump stated: "We have an American Pope who seems to have forgotten which country saved the world in two world wars. He cares more about the borders of the Vatican than the borders of the U.S." According to the head of the White House, it is to him that Leo XIV owes his election as head of the Catholic Church.

On April 11, during a prayer vigil in the Vatican, the Pope condemned the "illusion of omnipotence" that fuels global instability. Although Trump’s name was not mentioned, the White House perceived it as a direct jab at the president.

This conflict has become a unique case in modern history, where a sitting U.S. president publicly and harshly attacks the head of the Catholic Church, accusing him of political bias and a lack of understanding of national security issues.