WASHINGTON/ ROME ALGIERS: President Donald Trump issued a scathing attack on Pope Leo late on Sunday, calling him “weak” on crime and “terrible” for foreign policy after the religious leader criticised Trump’s foreign and immigration policies.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social.Leo, the first US-born pope, said in response to Trump’s attacks that he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and would continue to speak out. In a forceful speech on Monday in Algiers, he denounced “neocolonial” world powers who are violating international law, without specifically referring to the United States. Separately, the US president posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure on Sunday, drawing widespread criticism even from some religious conservatives who typically support him, before deleting the post on Monday.
The post on Trump’s Truth Social platform came amid his escalating feud with Pope Leo, who has criticized the US-Israeli war against Iran as inhumane. Shortly before publishing the image, the president posted a lengthy screed against Pope Leo, calling him “WEAK on crime and terrible for Foreign Policy.”
Leo, the first US-born pope, said in response to Trump’s attacks that he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and would continue to speak out. In a forceful speech on Monday in Algiers, he denounced “neocolonial” world powers who are violating international law, without specifically referring to the United States.
Sunday’s post, depicting Trump in a white robe with an apparently healing hand on a prone man’s head, could create a rift between Trump and the religious right, whose support was critical to his victory in the 2024 election.
In the painting-like image, Trump holds a glowing orb in one hand and uses his other hand to touch a seemingly sick man on the forehead. The Statue of Liberty, fireworks, a fighter jet and eagles could be seen in the background.
The post was removed on Monday morning. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Brilyn Hollyhand, who served as the co-chair of the Republican National Committee Youth Advisory Council, wrote on X: “This is gross blasphemy. Faith is not a prop. You don’t need to portray yourself as a savior when your record should speak for itself.”
Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer and outspoken critic of transgender athletes in women’s sports who has appeared with Trump at rallies, wrote on X she could not understand why Trump posted the image.
“Does he actually think this?” she wrote. “Either way, two things are true. 1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked.”Last year, after the death of Pope Francis, Trump posted an image showing himself as pope, prompting outrage from many Catholics.
In recent weeks, Leo has become one of the most prominent critics of the war in Iran, even making an unusual direct appeal to Trump and urging him to find an “off-ramp.”Leo has also said that Jesus cannot be used to justify war and that God rejects the prayers of those who start conflicts. Those remarks were widely seen as a rebuke to Trump officials like US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who has cited scripture to justify the use of “overwhelming violence” against enemies and likened the rescue of a US airman inside Iran to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Trump also feuded at times with Leo’s predecessor, Francis, who publicly opposed Trump’s deportation campaign as un-Christian.At least eight members of Trump’s cabinet are Catholic, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Bishop Robert Barron, who serves on a Trump-created religious liberty commission, said on X that the president owed Leo an apology for his “inappropriate” statements on social media. But he also praised Trump in the same post for his outreach to Catholics.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Monday that President Donald Trump’s attack on Pope Leo was “unacceptable”, joining forces with politicians of all colours in springing to the pontiff’s defence.
The statement represented an extremely rare public rebuke of Trump from Meloni, who has cultivated particularly close ties with the U.S. president, underscoring widespread anger in Italy over his broadside on Pope Leo.
Pope Leo, leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, swiftly responded, telling reporters he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and promising to continue speaking out against the U.S.-led war with Iran and in defence of migrants.
Meloni issued an initial statement backing Leo as he flew off on an ambitious four-nation visit to Africa, but made no specific mention of Trump’s broadside.Opposition politicians accused her of lacking the courage to directly challenge Trump, prompting her to issue a second statement later in the day to clarify her position.
“I find President Trump’s words towards the Holy Father unacceptable. The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn every form of war,” she said.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who has also in the past associated himself closely with Trump, also distanced himself from the U.S. leader on Monday, highlighting how Europe’s far-right is trying to draw back from the MAGA orbit.
“Pope Leo is a spiritual leader for billions of Catholics, but beyond that, if there is one person striving for peace, it is Pope Leo, and so attacking him does not seem either wise or helpful,” he said in a statement.
In another development, US President Donald Trump on Monday deleted a social media image apparently depicting him as Jesus after an outcry from religious leaders that he was being blasphemous.
The image posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform showed him in flowing red and white robes, touching the forehead of what appeared to be a sick man and with light shining from his hand and head.
An American flag waved in the background while various figures gazed up at the president in reverence.The AI picture was posted late Sunday and removed Monday.
Asked about the post, Trump denied that he was trying to look like Jesus Christ.“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do Red Cross,” he told journalists. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. I make people a lot better.”
The post generated an outcry from several prominent conservative Christians who are among Trump’s biggest backers.
“I don’t know if the President thought he was being funny or if he is under the influence of some substance or what possible explanation he could have for this OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy,” Megan Basham, a conservative journalist and commentator wrote on X.
“He needs to take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God.”Trump has previously used religious images in his posts. During his 2023 bank fraud trial, he shared a sketch from a supporter that showed him sitting next to Jesus in the courtroom.
His advisors have repeatedly cast him in a Jesus-like role.During an Easter lunch event at the White House earlier this month, Paula White-Cain, a televangelist who has served as his spiritual advisor, likened Trump to Jesus.
“You were betrayed and arrested and falsely accused. It’s a familiar pattern that our Lord and Savior showed us.”
