Donald Trump has once again attacked Pope Leo XIV, after his harsh criticism a month agoand he has also done so just two days before his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, arrives at the Vatican to meet with the Pontiff. Precisely, to rebuild relations between both states. In a telephone interview on a television program, the president of the United States accused the Pope of “putting many Catholics in danger” and of being in favor of Iran having nuclear weapons.
Trump made these statements in an interview with host Hugh Hewitt, of the conservative and Christian network Salem News Channel. When the journalist asked why the Pope has not spoken about arrest of Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong newspaper editor and democracy activistof Catholic religion, the president responded: “Well, the Pope prefers to talk about whether it is okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think that is good (…). I think he is putting many Catholics and many people in danger, but I suppose that if it depends on the Pope, he believes that it is okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
Hours later there was a response from number two of the Holy See, the Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, who attended a public event in which journalists asked him about Trump’s words. “The Pope continues on his path, preaching the Gospel and peace, as Saint Paul would say, on every occasion, opportune and inopportune. Whether you like this or not is another matter. We understand that not everyone shares the same opinion. But that is the Pope’s response,” he explained.
The remote confrontation between the first American pope and Donald Trump has been increasing since last January, following the Pope’s criticism of the White House’s immigration policies, the intervention in Venezuela and, above all, the attack on Iran. Also, and no small reason, is the use of religion by Trump and his closest collaborators, even to justify the war as a kind of crusade.
This latent tension finally exploded on April 12, when Trump attacked the Pontiff on social media. It was an unprecedented event. The US president stated that Robert Prevost is “weak on crime”, “disastrous in foreign policy” and should “stop pandering to the radical left”. Already then he accused him of being aligned with Iran: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America has invaded Venezuela (…) I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the president of the United States, because I’m doing exactly what I was elected to do BY AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY,” Trump wrote on his profile. truth. Later, speaking to reporters, he concluded: “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo.”
Trump then finished off his tirade by publishing a photo created with artificial intelligence in which he himself appeared as Jesus Christ, although he deleted it hours later. During the days of the conclave, a year ago now, He already published an image in which he was dressed as a dad.
It was just as unusual that the Pope would respond the next dayin the press conference he held on the plane that took him to Algeria: “I am not afraid of the Trump Administration (…) I will continue speaking out loud against the war.” In any case, Prevost said about the president that he did not want to “get into a debate with him,” but that “the Gospel is clear” and “the Church has the moral obligation to go against war.”
The background of this clash is profound, since the world of the American and global extreme right seeks to distort religious faith in a political key in its favor. The Pope himself warned the Spanish bishops of this danger last November, as EL PAÍS revealed.
With this panorama, Marco Rubio’s visit to Rome becomes even more uphill. The Secretary of State, a practicing Catholic, has been chosen for this mediation trip instead of Vice President JD Vance, who also attacked the Pope after his response to Trump. He even allowed himself to give theology lessons: “Just as it is important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when speaking about political topics, I think it is extremely important for the Pope to be careful when speaking about theological topics.”
In addition, Rubio must also rebuild bridges with the Italian Government, since Trump also attacked Giorgia Meloni last month, who until then was considered to be his best ally in Europe. The American leader said he had been disappointed by not joining the attack on Iran and even threatened to withdraw US bases on Italian soil.
