For centuries, kings, emperors, and politicians around the globe have sought the favor of the pope. The Vatican has played a consequential role in shaping history — endorsing conquests, crowning Holy Roman Emperors, amassing wealth, and fighting wars against those attempting to check the Holy See’s once dominant power — and it’s only recently that the pope has largely confined their role to religious leadership. For Donald Trump, who seems to see himself not only as an American king but as the messianic leader of a religious movement, the papacy has come to represent what it did to many historic autocrats: a perceived threat to his power.
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope to head the church in its 2,000-year history, has become one of the most prominent global critics of Trump’s domestic and international agenda. Often without outright naming Trump or members of his administration, Leo has leaned on the gospel and church teachings to condemn the mistreatment of migrants, and emphasized the unholiness of war. Sick of being subtweeted by the pontiff, the president on Sunday night nailed his own proverbial Ninety-five Theses to the doors of his church: Truth Social.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote as part of a lengthy rant attacking the leader of the Catholic Church.
Unsurprisingly, Catholics and political leaders around the world were shocked.
“I am disheartened that the President chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father. Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls,” Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement.
Bishop Robert Barron, a member of Trump’s “Religious Liberty Commission,” wrote on social media that the president’s attacks on the pope were “inappropriate and disrespectful.”
“It is the Pope’s prerogative to articulate Catholic doctrine and the principles that govern the moral life,” he added. “I would warmly recommend that serious Catholics within the Trump administration — Secretary Rubio, Vice President Vance, Ambassador Brian Burch, and others — might meet with Vatican officials so that a real dialogue can take place.”
Spanish President Pedro Sánchez wrote on X that “while some sow the world with wars, Leo XIV sows peace, with bravery and courage,” adding that it would be an “honor” to meet him during an upcoming visit to the majority-Catholic country.
Even prominent Republicans and MAGA influencers pushed back on Trump’s blasphemy, which also included a post depicting himself as a Christ-like figure, emanating light as he heals a man.
Christian nationalist pastor Joel Webbon, who has been boosted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, wrote Sunday on X that he “genuinely” believes “Trump is currently demon possessed.”
“Is Donald Trump the Anti-Christ?” Webbon wondered in a video posted on social media later on Monday.
MAGA influencer Brilyn Hollyhand, meanwhile, called Trump’s religious posting spree a form of “gross blasphemy,” writing that “faith is not a prop. You don’t need to portray yourself as a savior when your record should speak for itself.”
Conservative commentator Riley Gaines seemed more confused than anything. “Why? Seriously, I cannot understand why he’d post this. Is he looking for a response? Does he actually think this?” she wrote, adding “God shall not be mocked.”
Congressional Republicans have largely been silent on Trump’s posts, although Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) told The Philadelphia Inquirer that it was “disgraceful, beneath the dignity of the presidency, and offensive to Catholics in every corner of the world.”
“To suggest that a Pope somehow owes his place to a politician is absurd. As a lifelong Catholic, these comments [are] an insult to the Church, an affront to the faithful, and to many Catholics, plainly sacrilegious,” Fitzpatrick added. “Demeaning the Holy Father while elevating oneself is not strength. It is arrogance.”
The prominent Catholic officials in the Trump administration — including Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — have remained mum on the matter.
In a Monday press gaggle at the White House, Trump claimed that he had thought the image of him as Jesus was meant to represent him “as a doctor,” healing the sick. “I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor. And had to do with the Red Cross as a Red Cross worker, which we support and only the fake news could come up with that one,” Trump said.
The president also doubled down on his attacks against the pope, telling reporters: “Pope Leo said things that were wrong, he was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran. He’s weak on crime. He went public. I’m just responding to Pope Leo. There’s nothing to apologize for.”
For his part, Pope Leo is undaunted by the ire of the president. “I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration, nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel. And that’s what I believe I am called here to do,” Leo told reporters on his way to a 10-day trip to Algeria. “I am called to do and what the Church is called to do. We’re not politicians. We’re not looking to make foreign policy, as [Trump] calls it, with the same perspective that he might understand it.”
“But I do believe that the message of the Gospel, ‘blessed are the peacemakers,’ is a message that the world needs to hear today,” he added.
