Trump attacks Pope Leo, calling him 'weak' on crime and 'terrible'
By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump https://www.reuters.com/world/us/donald-trump/ issued a scathing attack on Pope Leo late on Sunday, calling him "weak" on crime and "terrible" for foreign policy after the religious leader criticized Trump's foreign and immigration policies.
"Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy," Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social.
Leo, who is known for choosing his words carefully, has emerged as an outspoken critic of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran https://www.reuters.com/world/iran/ that began on February 28.
The pope said this month's threat from Trump to destroy Iranian civilization was "unacceptable https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pope-leo-calls-trumps-threat-against-iran-truly-unacceptable-2026-04-07/." He has also called for "deep reflection https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/pope-calls-deep-reflection-us-about-migrants-treatment-under-trump-2025-11-04/" about the way migrants are being treated in the U.S. under the Trump administration.
"Leo should get his act together as Pope," Trump wrote in his post, later telling reporters he was not a "big fan" of the pontiff.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Sergio Non and Thomas Derpinghaus)
