‘Not a fan’: Trump launches extraordinary attack on Pope Leo as rift deepens over Iran war
After the US president shatters norms with a direct hit on the pontiff, Leo says he will continue to speak out ‘loudly’ and promote peace
US President Donald Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against Pope Leo on Sunday night, saying he did not think the US-born global leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church was “doing a very good job” and that “he’s a very liberal person”, while also suggesting the pontiff should “stop catering to the Radical Left”.
Flying back to Washington from Florida, Trump used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticise Leo, then kept it up after disembarking, in comments on the tarmac to reporters.
“I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” he said.
Trump’s comments came after Leo suggested over the weekend that a “delusion of omnipotence” was fuelling the US-Israel war in Iran.
While it is not unusual for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it is very rare for the pope to directly criticise a US leader.
Trump’s stinging response was equally uncommon, if not more so.
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Trump says he is ‘not a big fan of Pope Leo’ in scathing rant