Pope Leo XIV said he was not seeking to debate Donald Trump when he critiqued 'tyrants' for wasteful expenditure on wars in a recent speech. The comments, which came after a notable clash with the U.S. president, were prepared well in advance of the president's statements regarding him.
In a discussion with reporters during a flight to Angola, the pontiff stated, '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.'
Trump had previously admonished the Pope, calling him 'terrible for foreign policy' following the pontiff's criticism of military operations in Iran.
While on tour in Africa, the Pope remarked on the political narrative surrounding his speech, emphasizing its inaccuracy due to the context of Trump’s comments. U.S. Vice-President JD Vance responded positively to the Pope’s clarifications, acknowledging the media's tendency to incite conflict.
Earlier in the week, Vance had urged the Vatican to focus on moral issues rather than political ones.
Pope Leo's address in Cameroon condemned the leaders compromising societal needs for military action, stating, '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.'
His statements resonate strongly amid ongoing violence in Cameroon, a country plagued by insurgency for nearly a decade. The Pope's Africa tour, significant for the global Catholic community, highlights the influential role of the region in the Church’s future.
