Pope Leo XIV denies the ‘tyrants’ speech targeted at Trump

(SeaPRwire) –   The American president has criticized the pontiff following his remarks regarding the conflict in the Middle East.

Pope Leo XIV has attempted to minimize his recent disagreement with Donald Trump, denying that his comments regarding the war in Iran and his appeals for peace were intended as a challenge to the US president.

While traveling to Angola on Saturday, the US-born pope told journalists that his statements were not meant to be provocative, and he faulted the media for exaggerating the dispute through excessive analysis and conjecture.

“There’s been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects… much of what has been written… has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said,” the pope remarked. He emphasized that his comments earlier this week in Cameroon, where he condemned leaders who allocate billions to warfare and characterized the world as “ravaged by a handful of tyrants,” were not aimed at Trump.

“And yet, as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate the president, which is not my interest at all,” he stated.

Although the pope has previously taken issue with Trump’s policies, such as mass deportations and his characterization of Europe as “decaying,” the conflict in the Middle East has heightened friction between the two. The pontiff urged all parties to “stop the spiral of violence” and labeled Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilization as “unacceptable.”

Furthermore, the pope remarked that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,” a statement made after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth encouraged Americans to pray “in the name of Jesus Christ.”

Trump responded by calling the pope “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy,” adding that he did not desire “a pope who criticizes the President of the United States.”

US Vice President J.D. Vance, who has been critical of the pontiff in the past, expressed appreciation for Leo’s latest comments.

“I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this,” Vance posted on X on Sunday. “While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict –and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen – the reality is often much more complicated.”