Washington– President Donald Trump did it He renewed his criticism Pope Leo XIV, which may complicate the matter Visit to repair the fence Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to do so this week at the Vatican.
In an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, Trump said the first US-born pope was helping Iran and making the world less safe with his comments about the importance of not treating immigrants with disrespect.
“The Pope prefers to talk about the fact that it is acceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said in the interview that took place on Monday. “And I don’t think that’s a very good thing. I think it puts a lot of Catholics and a lot of people at risk.”
But the Pope did not say that Iran should have nuclear weapons. He has called for more peace talks, criticized the war with Iran generally and Trump’s specific threats to launch mass strikes on civilians. The Pope also stressed that he reflects the teachings of the Bible and the Church, and does not speak as a political rival to Trump.
Liu responded to Trump’s recent criticism by criticizing the US president’s distortion of his views. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the pope said the Catholic Church “has spoken out for years against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt.”
He also doubled down on his insistence that his call for peace and dialogue in the US-Israeli war in Iran was inspired by the Bible.
“The mission of the church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace,” Liu said. “If someone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do it truthfully.”
For his part, Rubio, a devout Catholic, said Trump’s recent criticism was due to his opposition to the possibility of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, which he said could be used against millions of Catholics and other Christians. Rubio said the whole world should oppose this.
Trump “doesn’t understand why anyone – leave aside the Pope – me and the president, for that matter, I think most people, I can’t understand why anyone would think that Iran having a nuclear weapon is a good idea,” Rubio told reporters at the White House.
However, Trump’s recent comments may make Rubio’s task more difficult when he meets with the Pope on Thursday. Rubio has been called out often 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 United States as the midterm congressional elections approach.
Trump criticized Liu on social media last month, saying the pope was soft on crime and terrorism due to his comments on the administration’s immigration and deportations policies as well as the Iran war. Liu then said that God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.
Trump later posted a photo on social media in which he likened himself to Jesus Christ, then deleted it after backlash. I have He refused to apologise Liu sought to explain what he posted on social media by saying that he believed the photo was of him as a doctor.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a longtime Trump ally, He took issue with Trump’s comments About the Pope.
In return, Trump criticized it as his property Anger against NATO allies He expands on what he sees as a lack of support for the Iran war – most recently with the Pentagon planning one Withdrawal of thousands of soldiers from Germany In the coming months.
In response to Trump’s recent statements criticizing the Pope, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a social media post that they were “neither acceptable nor beneficial to the cause of peace.”
“I reaffirm my support for every action and word of Pope Leo,” Tajani wrote. “His words are a testament to dialogue and 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 there are conflicts.”
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.