The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo, said he will continue to take a stand against war despite criticism from Donald Trump.
“I will continue to speak out loudly against war, promoting peace, dialogue, and multilateral relations between states to find fair solutions to problems,” the Pope told Reuters.
“Many people are suffering. Many innocent people are being killed. And I believe someone must stand up and say there is a better way,” he said aboard a papal flight to Algeria on April 13.
He told journalists he has “no fear of the Trump administration or of speaking openly.”
Trump criticized the Catholic leader on April 12, saying he is “not a big fan” and accusing him of “playing with a country that wants nuclear weapons.”
“Pope Leo is WEAK on crime and terrible on foreign policy,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons,” he added.
Last week, the Pope criticized Trump’s warning that “an entire civilization could die tonight” if Iran does not agree to a deal to end the war, calling the statement “truly unacceptable.”
“Of course there are issues of international law, but more than that, this is a moral issue,” he added.
