Trump Targets Pope: "He Couldn't Be Pope Without Me"

[The Financial News] US President Donald Trump has launched a public and fierce attack on Pope Leo XIV, who has criticized the war with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
On the 12th (local time), Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, directly targeting Pope Leo XIV by saying he is "weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy." He further argued, "I do not want a Pope who thinks it is acceptable for the Islamic Republic of Iran to possess nuclear weapons," drawing a sharp contrast over the Iran issue.
He also brought up the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Trump said, "I also do not want a Pope who thinks it was terrible that I went after the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which was pouring drugs, killers and drug traffickers into the United States of America (US)," adding, "I do not want a Pope who criticizes the president of the US."
Trump went on to claim, "I drove crime rates down to historic lows and created the greatest stock market in history," and insisted, "Having been elected in a landslide, I am carrying out my role exactly as I should."
His remarks have even been interpreted as questioning the very selection of Pope Leo XIV. Trump argued, "He was not even on the list of papal candidates and was chosen simply as a card to use against me because I am American," adding, "If I were not in the White House, he would not be in Vatican City." He also urged, "The Pope must stay true to his calling" and "return to being a great religious leader, not a politician pandering to the radical left."
Pope Leo XIV, for his part, has been delivering increasingly forceful messages of peace in response to the war with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Through prayer meetings and social media, he has criticized war, saying, "God does not bless any war. Delusions of omnipotence fuel war." He had maintained a cautious stance toward the Trump administration, but observers say the wartime situation has prompted him to raise the level of his direct criticism.

km@fnnews.com Reporter Kim Kyung-min Reporter