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Pope Leo XIV, the leader of the Roman Catholic church, decried people who twist religion for military, economic or political benefit.
“Jesus told us, blessed are the peacemakers. But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic or political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” he declared.
He also called out “The masters of war,” during the remarks in Cameroon on Thursday.
“The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often, a lifetime is often not enough to rebuild. They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing, on devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education, and restoration are nowhere to be found,” the pope said.
POPE LEO SAYS HE’S UNAFRAID OF THE TRUMP ADMIN AFTER PRESIDENT CALLS HIM ‘TERRIBLE’ ON FOREIGN POLICY
Pope Leo XIV speaks as he meets with the community of Bamenda at Saint Joseph’s Cathedral in Bamenda, on the fourth day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa, on April 16, 2026. (Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House on Thursday regarding the pontiff’s comments in Cameroon.
But the president himself spoke about the pope on Thursday after he was asked about the religious figure’s comments.
TRUMP REJECTS AMERICAN BISHOP ROBERT BARRON’S CALL TO APOLOGIZE TO POPE FOR ‘DISRESPECTFUL’ COMMENTS
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that it is “very important that the Pope understands” that “Iran killed 42,000 people that were totally unarmed, they were protesters.”
“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” the president asserted, saying that if the foreign nation did possess such a weapon, every nation in the world, including Italy, “would be in trouble.”
“But the pope has to understand, Iran, very simple, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. The world would be in great danger,” he declared.
Asked if he would meet with the pope to iron out their differences, Trump responded, “I don’t think it’s necessary.”
TRUMP ACCUSES POPE LEO OF BEING ‘TERRIBLE’ ON FOREIGN POLICY OVER PONTIFF’S ANTI-WAR COMMENTS
Trump blasted the Catholic figure in a Truth Social post on Sunday night, declaring that the man “is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” and that he should “stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.”
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country,” Trump declared in part of the lengthy post.
“And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History,” he added.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to address the nation from the Cross Hall of the White House on April 1, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
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In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, the president wrote, “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 for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable. Thank you for your attention to this matter. AMERICA IS BACK!!!”
