Trump again assails Pope Leo, potentially complicating Rubio's visit to
the Vatican this week
[May 06, 2026]
By MATTHEW LEE and NICOLE WINFIELD
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of
Pope Leo XIV, potentially complicating a fence-mending visit that
Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to make this week to the Vatican.
In an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, Trump said
the first American-born pontiff is helping Iran and also making the
world less safe with his comments about the importance of not treating
immigrants with disrespect.
“The pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have
a nuclear weapon,” Trump said in the interview on Monday. “And I don’t
think that’s very good. I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and
a lot of people.”
The pope, however, has not said Iran should obtain nuclear weapons. He’s
called for more peace talks, and criticized war with Iran generally and
Trump’s specific threats of mass civilian strikes. The pope also has
emphasized that he’s reflecting biblical and church teachings, not
speaking as a political rival to Trump.
Leo responded to Trump's latest criticism by calling out the U.S.
president's misrepresentation of his views. Speaking to reporters
Tuesday, the pope said the Catholic Church “for years has spoken out
against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt there.”
He also doubled down on his insistence that his call for peace and
dialogue in the U.S-Israeli war in Iran is biblically inspired.
“The mission of the church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace. If
someone wants to criticize me for announcing the Gospel, let him do it
with the truth,” Leo said.
Rubio downplays the rift over Iran
For his part, Rubio, a practicing Catholic, said Trump's recent
criticisms were rooted in his opposition to Iran potentially obtaining a
nuclear weapon, which he said could be used against millions of
Catholics and other Christians. Rubio said the whole world should be
opposed to that.
Trump “doesn’t understand why anybody — leave aside the pope — the
president and I, for that matter, I think most people, I cannot
understand why anyone would think that it’s a good idea for Iran to ever
have a nuclear weapon,” Rubio told reporters at the White House.
Still, Trump’s latest comments may make Rubio’s task more difficult when
he sees the pontiff on Thursday. Rubio has often been called on to tone
down or explain Trump’s harsh rhetoric as it relates to Europe, NATO and
the Middle East, but the president’s dispute with the pope has domestic
political implications in the U.S. with midterm congressional elections
approaching.
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Pope Leo XIV talks to journalists as he leaves his residence in
Castel Gandolfo, on the outskirts of Rome, to return to the Vatican,
Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Trump lashed out at Leo on social media last month, saying the pope was
soft on crime and terrorism for comments about the administration’s
immigration policies and deportations as well as the Iran war. Leo then
said God doesn’t listen to the prayers of those who wage war.
Later, Trump posted a social media image likening himself to Jesus
Christ, which he then deleted after backlash. He has refused to
apologize to Leo and has sought to explain away the social media post by
saying he thought the image was of him as a doctor.
The tension spills over into Italian politics
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a long-time Trump ally, has taken
exception to Trump’s comments about the pope.
Trump in return criticized her as his ire against NATO allies expands
over what he sees as a lack of support for the Iran war — most recently
with the Pentagon planning to pull thousands of troops out of Germany in
the coming months.
In response to Trump's latest comments criticizing the pope, Italian
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a social media post that they
were “neither acceptable nor helpful to the cause of peace.”
“I reaffirm my support for every action and word of Pope Leo; his words
are a testament to dialogue, the value of human life, and freedom. This
is a vision shared by our government, which is committed through
diplomacy to ensuring stability and peace in all areas where conflicts
exist,” Tajani wrote.
Rubio, who after this trip will have visited Italy or the Vatican at
least three times in the past year, is expected to meet with Meloni and
Tajani on Friday.
___
Winfield reported from Rome. Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this
report.
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