Afrasianet - U.S. President Donald Trump has launched a scathing attack on Pope Leo XIV for criticizing the U.S. administration's policies, particularly the war on Iran and immigration.
In a comment on his platform Truth Social, Trump claimed that "Pope Leo is tolerant of crime, and disastrous in foreign policy."
"I prefer his brother Louis a lot over him, because Lewis is passionate about the motto 'Make America Great Again.'"
"I don't want a pope who thinks that Iran's possession of nuclear weapons is acceptable, and I don't want a pope who thinks America's attack on Venezuela is terrible."
On February 28, the United States and Israel began a war against Iran, which left more than 3,000 dead, including hundreds of children and women, and extensive destruction of military sites and civilian facilities.
Washington and Tel Aviv accuse Tehran of possessing nuclear and missile programs that threaten Israel and regional U.S.-friendly states, while Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful and does not seek to produce nuclear weapons or threaten other countries.
Israel, which occupies Palestine and territories in Lebanon and Syria, is the only country in the region with a nuclear weapons arsenal, which is officially declared and not subject to international control.
Trump said Venezuela, the South American country, had "emptied its prisons, including murderers, drug dealers and criminals, in our country."
On Jan. 3, U.S. special forces launched an attack on Venezuela, which resulted in the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and their transfer to New York for trial, sparking criticism around the world.
Claiming that Leo's accession to the papacy was linked to his presidency, Trump said: "His name was not on any list of candidates for the pope, but the church chose him because he was an American, and they saw that this was the best way to deal with President Donald Trump. If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican."
"Leo should behave well as a pope, use common sense, stop going along with the extreme left, and focus on being a great pope, not a politician."
He claimed that the pope's current course "harms the Catholic Church."
Asked why he was attacking the pope, Trump told reporters after arriving at Joint Air Force Base Andrews in Maryland on Sunday: "I don't think he's doing his job perfectly."
"He is a very liberal person, he doesn't believe in fighting crime and he doesn't think we should manipulate a country that seeks a nuclear weapon to destroy the world," he said.
Trump posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social showing him in the form of Jesus Christ.
During a mass prayer at St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday, the Pope called for an end to the war on Iran.
"Even the holy name of the Lord, the God of life, is thrown into the letters of death," he said. Enough of self-worship and money, enough of a show of strength, enough of war."
The pope has previously called Trump's threat to destroy "Iranian civilization" "unacceptable" and criticized his anti-immigrant policies in the United States, calling for "deep reflection" on the issue.
