Overview
- Trump, following Saturday’s Vatican plea to “end the war,” blasted Leo XIV on Sunday on Truth Social and told reporters he is “no fan” of the pope.
- On a flight to Algeria on Monday, Leo said he is not a politician, fears no retaliation, and will keep urging peace through dialogue.
- After backlash at home, including from conservative allies, Trump deleted an AI image that cast him in a Jesus-like healing pose and later said it showed him as a doctor.
- U.S. bishops’ chair Paul S. Coakley said he was dismayed by Trump’s words about the Holy Father, while Vatican official Antonio Spadaro called the attack a “declaration of impotence.”
- The clash unfolds as the U.S. and Iran observe a fragile ceasefire after late-February strikes, and first direct talks in Pakistan collapsed over Tehran’s refusal to renounce nuclear weapons.