'I Will Continue On What I Believe': Pope Leo XIV Stands Firm Against Trump's Criticism On Peace

US-born Pope Leo XIV pushed back Monday on US President Donald Trump's broadside against him over the US-Israel war in Iran, telling reporters that the Vatican's appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel, and that he doesn't fear the Trump administration.

"To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think, is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is," Leo told AP aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria. "And I'm sorry to hear that, but I will continue on what I believe is the mission of the church in the world today."

"I will not enter into debate"

History's first US-born pope stressed that he was not making a direct attack against Trump or anyone else with his general appeal for peace and criticisms of the "delusion of omnipotence" that is fuelling the Iran wars and other conflicts around the world.

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"I will not enter into debate. The things that I say are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone. The message of the Gospel is very clear: Blessed are the peacemakers,'" Leo said.

"I will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel and inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges of peace and reconciliation, and looking for ways to avoid war any time that's possible"

"I have no fear of the Trump administration"

Speaking to other reporters, he added: "I have no fear of the Trump administration." Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against Leo on Sunday night, saying he didn't think the US-born global leader of the Catholic Church is "doing a very good job" and that "he's a very liberal person," while also suggesting the pontiff should "stop catering to the Radical Left".

Flying back to Washington from Florida, Trump used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticise Leo, then kept it up after deplaning, in comments on the tarmac to reporters. "I'm not a fan of Pope Leo," he said.

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Trump's comments came after Leo suggested over the weekend that a "delusion of omnipotence" is fuelling the US-Israel war in Iran. While it's not unusual for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it's exceedingly rare for the pope to directly criticise a US leader - and Trump's stinging response is equally uncommon, if not more so.

(Note: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by The Daily Jagran and has been published through a syndicated feed. Source - PTI)

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