Posted on 04/13/2026 10:51:47 AM PDT by thegagline
President Trump refused to apologize Monday to Pope Leo XIV amid their public fight over the US-Iran war, claiming the leader of the Roman Catholic Church “said things that are wrong.”
“He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran — Pope Leo would not be happy with the result,” Trump said. “Iran wants to be a nuclear nation so they can exterminate the world. Not gonna happen.”
Trump also accused the pontiff of being “very weak on crime” during an impromptu press availability outside the Oval Office at the White House.
“I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems,” the pontiff said earlier Monday.
The president also addressed the since-deleted image he posted on Truth Social that appeared to depict him as Jesus Christ, saying: “I thought it was me as a doctor.” “Only the fake news could come up with that,” added Trump of the holy connection.
“I make people better.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I can’t remember President Trump ever telling the pope how to run the catholic church....so maybe pope should stay in his own swim lane and tend to his flock.
We all have The Christ in us and when people look at us they’re supposed see Jesus.
Dem's still up to their dirty tricks.
Maybe the Pope should address Iran...or is he afraid...you bet he is!!
I agree the image was a little over the top but I dont remember the Pope ONCE mentioning how Iran SLAUGHTERED over 40,000 of their own people, and is currently hanging innocent protestors 10 at a time, not a peep from him regarding that
The image is max cringe to be sure. That said, leo is fool and ever bit as bad as frankee and he is just getting started.
This needs to be explored. exactly WHO is controlling which Pope is put in office? Yes, I know its "the College of Cardinals" but why would they specifically choose an American Pope to counter Trump
And why the meeting with David Axelrod, of all people, before this recent PR campaign?
By the way, I am still wondering why Benedict XVI retired "due to health," but then wound up living another 10 years. Again, any connection to Obama or Axelrod?
What Trump said about Dope Leo was spot on. But posting the ai image crap was just stupid. And his excuses (lies) about the latter are not doing him any favors.
The pope is doing what popes do ... pleading for world peace. The things he's said have been directed at that, nothing person al against Trump.
Donald. Please. Just Please. Stop saying and doing stupid sh!t like this.
If a Pop, or and religious leader, for that matter, decides to move out of his spiritual lane, to engage in temporal matters, he becomes fair game for criticism. He has no special knowledge and is 1 of 7 billion people on the planet with an opinion. I say that as a Catholic. I liken popes involving themselves in geopolitics to the Hollywood airheads that move out of the acting lane to run their mouths
I can’t remember President Trump ever telling the pope how to run the catholic church....so maybe pope should stay in his own swim lane and tend to his flock.
*************************
Pope Leo is just fine with Iran getting nukes.
independent.com excerpt
Pope Leo’s older brother, meanwhile, has a very different political perspective. Louis, who now lives with his wife Deborah in the majority Republican county of Port Charlotte in Florida, has described himself as a “MAGA type”; the press, meanwhile, has characterised him as the “red sheep” of the family.
His political leanings first made headlines last May, thanks to posts shared publicly on his Facebook account, which included an anti-LGBT+ meme and a video of Democratic congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, describing her in extremely derogatory terms.
The septuagenarian, who is reportedly a regular at his local line dancing club, also berated former president Barack Obama and the Democratic party for “longing for the total destruction of our way of life”, and slammed anyone who voted for Joe Biden as “brain-dead morons”.
When asked about his posts in an interview with Piers Morgan, Louis seemed unapologetic. “I wouldn’t have posted it if I didn’t kind of believe it,” he said, before noting that he had been “biting [his] tongue about some of the stuff that is out there on social media” since.
His posting spree seemed, inevitably, to put Louis in the good graces of the president, who is Presbyterian and prefers to seek the advice of his spiritual adviser Paula White-Cain when it comes to religious matters; the fact that White-Cain recently drew parallels between Trump’s life and that of Jesus Christ during an Easter lunch can only have endeared her further to him. A few weeks after the debacle, Louis and his wife, Deborah headed to the White House for a photo opportunity, where they were pictured grinning alongside Trump and Vance in the Oval Office.
So what does the Pope think about his brother’s Maga leanings? According to Louis, he seems to have accepted their dissimilarity on this count. “He knows who I am,” Louis told the NYT. “He’s well aware of my positions. He knows I’m probably not going to change and I don’t think I will, other than to, just as you say, tone it down.”
The two brothers still appear to be on good terms, while the third (not pictured) is content to keep a low profile (EPA)
True to his word, he hasn’t mouthed off on social media since, although you have to wonder whether his interviews with figures like Morgan might prove to be a ticking time bomb. Pope Leo, meanwhile, has conceded in an interview that although the brothers are all “very close”, “one is far on one end politically”, and they are in “different places”.
Indeed, their political differences don’t seem to have prompted any estrangement in their relationship. One viral video from his inaugural mass – which Louis also attended, sitting next to VP Vance and his wife Usha – showed the Pope temporarily breaking protocol to greet his older brother with a big hug.
snip
Yea, what’s up with that statue of liberty mecha-robot thing at the top?
The era of AI slop will continue to be interesting. Not interested in more law or regulation but maybe genAI users can put a metadata tag to identify these works as such both so people don’t think that’s a real (whatever) and to help classify it as satire, political opinion, etc.
Didn’t make me cringe at all. But then, I’m secure in my Christianity.
As a Catholic( the American-Irish type, Catholic school kid in the ‘60’s) Leo needs to stfu and stay in the pulpit and stay out of politics.
Failing that he needs to go for a swim in the Tiber.
Fake outrage by fake people.
Leo needs to shut up. He didn't once open his mouth when Iranians were and are being slaughtered in the streets.
From behind the Vatican walls and his armed protection Leo's predecessor chastised the West and our president when we put a stop to illegal immigration. I'm a Catholic and the Papacy needs a radical over haul as it seems to be answerable to no one in this world. Or it needs to be done away with. Christ never lived as ''the princes of the church'' do.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.