Trump targets Pope Leo, calling him “WEAK on Crime, and bad on Foreign Policy.”

President Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV in a long social media post on Sunday night, calling the pope “It’s bad for crime, and bad for foreign policy.”

Leo has been critical of the Iran war and has made statements in the past opposing other priorities of the Trump administration, such as a continued crackdown on illegal immigration.

“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s right Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s bad that the United States attacked Venezuela, a country that used to send a lot of drugs to the United States and, worse, empty their prisons, including murderers, drug traffickers and murderers, in our country,” wrote Mr.

Leo had called the threat of Mr. Trump’s complete destruction of Iranian civilization is “really unacceptable,” and he encouraged people to “contact the authorities – political leaders, congressmen – to ask them, tell them to work for peace and reject war, always.”

On Saturday, although he did not talk about Mr. Trump by name, Leo said during a prayer for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica, “Enough with idolatry and money! Enough with displays of power! Enough with war! True power is seen in serving life.”

He also called for an end to the war through negotiations, saying, “Certainly, the leaders of the nations have binding obligations. We shout to them: Stop! This is the time for peace! Sit at the tables of negotiation and mediation, not at the tables where weapons are rearranged and death is discussed!”

The Pope also condemned Friday’s war in a post on social media, writing, “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Lord of peace, has never been on the side of those who once carried the sword and today drop bombs.”

And in a Palm Sunday interview last month, Leo also appeared to criticize Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, saying Jesus “doesn’t listen to the prayers of those who fight in war.”

Mr. Trump also said Sunday that Leo would not have been elected pope if it weren’t for him, writing that “he was only put there by the Church because he is an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”

“I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States,” wrote Mr.

“Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop feeding the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It hurts him a lot and, more importantly, it hurts the Catholic Church!” said the president.

Mr. Trump repeated many of his comments to reporters Sunday night after arriving in Washington, DC, saying, “We don’t like the pope who says it’s okay to have a nuclear weapon.”

“I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime, I think,” said Mr. Trump, adding, “He’s a very liberal person.”