Pope Leo XIV signals during a visit to the Maqam Echahid Martyrs’ Monument in El Madania, nearby Algiers on April 13, 2026. Alberto Pizzoli/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
ALGIERS and LONDON — Pope Leo XIV on Monday offered a reply to disapproval from President Donald Trump, stating to journalists while en route to Algeria that he possesses "no trepidation" regarding the White House.
"I have no fear of the Trump government, nor of speaking frankly concerning the Gospel's message," the pontiff communicated on Monday, as he commenced a multi-day journey to four African countries. "That's my belief. I am summoned to execute the church's calling."
The pope this Saturday requested a cessation of hostilities, without directly referencing the U.S.-Israeli conflict against Iran. "Enough with conflict," Leo expressed during a peace observation in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
The pope also implied "a fantasy of complete power" is fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, urging the nation’s leaders to achieve a peaceful settlement.
Trump on Sunday evening posted on social media, branding the pope "INEFFECTIVE on Crime, and disastrous for Foreign Policy."
"I don't desire a Pope who believes it's acceptable for Iran to be in possession of a Nuclear Weapon," Trump communicated in his post.
On Monday, Trump stated he has no intentions of apologizing to Pope Leo after one of his most intimate Catholic associates, Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota, encouraged him to do so.
"No … because Pope Leo voiced things that are incorrect," Trump conveyed when questioned regarding an apology. "He stood in strong opposition to my actions concerning Iran. And a nuclear Iran is unacceptable. Pope Leo wouldn’t be content with the eventual outcome. You['d] have countless millions of individuals deceased, and that is not on the cards."
Trump also stated he shared an AI-created image on his social media platform depicting himself as a Christ-like individual. The image was later erased.
"That was me. I did share it, and I perceived it as me in the role of a medic affiliated with the Red Cross — as a Red Cross employee, which we endorse," Trump said, attributing the backlash stemming from the post’s coverage to the media. "Thus, I just became aware of it, and I questioned, 'How did they arrive at that?' It is supposed to represent me as a healer, making individuals better, and I indeed make individuals better and considerably better."
Pope Leo XIV speaks to journalists during the flight to Algiers on April 13, 2026. Pope Leo XIV today starts an 11-day tour to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea for his inaugural major international journey since ascending to the papacy last year.Alberto Pizzoli/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The pope, a Chicago native and the initial American to preside over the Catholic Church, was raised to his station in May 2025, a handful of months into Trump’s second term. The president at the time congratulated Leo, expressing on social media that it was "quite an honor" for an American to become pope.
The pontiff has communicated apprehensions regarding several armed confrontations, persistently appealing for peace, encompassing mentions of the civil conflict escalating in Sudan, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. He has advocated for tranquility in Iran and the larger Middle East since the onset of the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The pontiff has served as an impactful advocate for worldwide peace from the inception of his papacy last May.
He has frequently urged the concerned parties to partake in dialogues, including a declaration on March 1 stating he was making "a genuine appeal to all factions involved to embrace the moral obligation of halting the escalation of violence before it transforms into an insurmountable divide." He has expressed that "God offers no blessing upon any conflict."
Pope Leo XIV boards his aircraft destined for Algiers at Rome’s Fiumicino airport on April 13, 2026.Tiziana Fabi/AFP via Getty Images
Leo mentioned on Monday that his remarks "are decidedly not intended as assaults on any individual and the message of the Gospel is unequivocally, 'Blessed are those who strive for peace.'"
"I shall not hesitate to proclaim the Gospel’s message, to invite all individuals to explore methods of constructing bridges for peace and reconciliation, to discover means of averting war whenever feasible," Leo went on. "To equate my message with the president’s endeavors here demonstrates a misunderstanding of the Gospel’s message, and I regret to learn of that."
Pope Leo XIV gestures during a visit at the Maqam Echahid Martyrs’ Monument in El Madania, close to Algiers on April 13, 2026.Alberto Pizzoli/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Earlier on Monday, Trump had urged the pope to dedicate himself to "being an Exceptional Pope, not a Politician."
"It’s severely harming him and, even more crucially, it’s undermining the Catholic Church!" Trump penned on his social media site.
Responding to an inquiry from reporters hours afterward, Leo remarked concerning the obvious strains with Trump, "I don’t perceive my position as being political … I prefer not to engage in a discussion with him. I believe that the Gospel’s message isn’t meant to be exploited in the manner that some individuals are."
"I will persist in speaking loudly against conflict, aiming to foster peace, advocate for dialogue, multilateral bonds among nations to seek equitable solutions to dilemmas," he declared. "Too many individuals face adversity globally currently. Too many innocent lives are being lost. And I think an individual must rise and declare, 'An improved path exists for resolving this.'"
Sourse: abcnews.go.com