Pope Leo XIV denied that his criticism of "tyrants" was directed at Trump

Pope Leo XIV explained that his recent speech about the “handful of tyrants” who are ravaging the world was not directed personally against U.S. President Donald Trump. The pontiff acknowledged that the current political context could have contributed to such interpretations, but emphasized that his words had a broader humanitarian meaning. 

He made these remarks to journalists aboard the plane during his return from an apostolic journey to Africa, the BBC reports.

According to the head of the Vatican, creating such narratives is “not in his interest,” and the Church seeks dialogue with all world leaders to achieve peace. He emphasized that condemning authoritarian methods of governance and economic exploitation is part of social doctrine, not a tool for interfering in the internal politics of individual states. The Pope urged people not to look for hidden political subtexts where universal human moral values are at stake.

This statement came amid a cooling of relations between the Holy See and the White House due to differences on environmental and immigration policy. Despite this, Leo XIV expressed his willingness to cooperate with the U.S. administration in resolving global conflicts. The Vatican continues to closely monitor global developments, emphasizing the importance of protecting the most vulnerable segments of the population amid geopolitical turbulence.

Before Pope Leo set out on his tour, the U.S. president publicly criticized him over his stance on the war in Iran. And during a speech in Cameroon, the Pontiff condemned world political leaders who “spend billions of dollars on wars” and stated that the world is being “devastated by a handful of tyrants.”

Trump criticized the Pope over foreign policy issues

The Pope mentioned the Ukrainian people during his Easter greeting

Pope Leo called on the world to stop wars

Pope Leo XIV condemned the illusion of omnipotence and called for an end to the war in Iran