Pope Leo hits back after Trump savages him, then poses as Jesus Christ

NEW YORK, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Apr, 2026) Pope Leo XIV hit back Monday after US President Donald Trump sharply criticized the first American leader of the Catholic Church as “WEAK on crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy.”

Leo, who has been sharply critical of the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran, told NBC News, an American tv network, that he had “no fear of the Trump administration” and vowed to keep up his appeals for peace that he said were rooted in the gospel.

Trump leveled his criticism of the pope in remarks to reporters and on social media.

“I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime, I guess,” the president told NBC news at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, late Sunday.

“We don’t like a pope that’s going to say that it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon. We don’t want a pope who says crime is OK in our cities. I don’t like it. I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo,” Trump added.

He posted earlier on Truth Social that “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy."

“Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise. He wasn’t on any list to be Pope and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I weren’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” Trump said.

The pope responded while en route Monday to Algeria for the first stop of an 11-day tour of four African nations.

Speaking aboard the papal plane, the pope said: “I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do.”

He added: “We are not politicians, we don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the gospel, as a peacemaker.

”

On the flight, he told reporters that Algeria was ”a very special trip for me" as it was the home of St. Augustine, the inspiration of Leo's religious spirituality. "He was a bridge of interreligious dialogue, so we must continue to build bridges and reconciliation for all people,” the pope said.

Trump’s heavy criticism did not stop the pontiff from continuing to speak out against the war.

Upon his arrival in Algiers — the capital of a country ravaged in the past by war — the pope stopped by the monument to independence from French rule, and said that as conflicts continue to multiply throughout the world, we cannot add resentment upon resentment.

The pope last week criticized Trump’s public threats to “wipe out” Iranian civilization, saying “attacks on civilian infrastructure are against international law” and urging people to contact leaders and members of Congress to call for peace.

He has urged Trump to end the war with Iran, and he lamented in his Easter message last week that the world is “becoming indifferent” to violence. Leo had also criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

Shortly after Trump’s comments, the president posted an image to Truth Social depicting himself as a Christ-like figure healing a sick person with American flags and eagles in the background.

By early afternoon on Monday, the post was deleted. Speaking to reporters, Trump said he thought the image depicted him as a doctor.

“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with Red Cross,” he told reporters Monday afternoon at the White House. Trump said that “only the fake news” could come up with the idea that it depicted him as Jesus.