Pope Leo has said he was not attempting to engage in a dispute with former US President Donald Trump after criticising “tyrants” who spend vast sums on warfare, clarifying that the remarks were written well before recent tensions between the two figures.
Speaking to reporters aboard a flight to Angola on Saturday, the pontiff explained that the speech had been prepared two weeks earlier, “well before the president ever commented on myself”.
He added that interpretations suggesting he was targeting Trump were misplaced. “And yet as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate, again, the president, which is not in my interest at all,” he said.
The clarification follows a sharp exchange earlier this week, when Trump publicly criticised the first American Pope, describing him as “terrible for foreign policy”.
The Pope, who has been outspoken on global conflicts including the US-Israeli military operations involving Iran, suggested that a misleading narrative had since emerged. He pointed to “the political situation created” by Trump’s remarks as contributing to that perception.
During a speech in Cameroon on Thursday, Pope Leo condemned world leaders who prioritise military spending over social investment.
He criticised those who “turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found”.
“The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild,” he said.
The Pope also denounced what he described as “an endless cycle of destabilisation and death” in parts of Cameroon affected by nearly a decade of insurgency, referring to the region as “bloodstained”.
While some observers interpreted the comments as a veiled reference to Trump, the former president responded by defending his right to disagree. “The Pope can say what he wants, and I want him to say what he wants, but I can disagree,” he told reporters.
Trump had earlier launched a broader critique of the Catholic leader following concerns raised by the pontiff over escalating tensions with Iran, including warnings that “a whole civilisation will die” if the conflict intensified and key maritime routes such as the Strait of Hormuz were not reopened.
In a series of posts, Trump said he was “not a big fan” of the Pope, calling him “WEAK on crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy”. He also shared an AI-generated image portraying himself in a religious likeness, which was later removed.
Pope Leo is currently undertaking a multi-country tour of Africa, with visits scheduled across 11 cities in four nations.
The trip marks his second major overseas journey since his election to the papacy last year and underscores the growing significance of the Catholic Church across the continent.
According to 2024 figures, Africa is home to more than a fifth of the global Catholic population, with an estimated 288 million followers.
