Rome: Pope Leo XIV, head of the Roman Catholic Church, attempted to defuse the tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying that reporting on his remarks during his visit to Africa might not be entirely accurate.
According to Thai News Agency, Pope Leo XIV clarified on board his plane en route from Cameroon to Angola that he did not intend to argue with President Donald Trump, but was merely delivering a message of peace according to the Gospel. Pope Leo stated that his speech condemning the "tyrant" for spending billions on wars was prepared two weeks in advance, before Trump began criticizing him, and therefore was not aimed at any specific individual.
Pope Leo XIV told reporters on board a plane during a visit to Africa that his messages had been misinterpreted as political arguments, which he insisted were not in his interest. And despite attacks from Trump regarding his perceived leniency towards crime and weak foreign policy, the Pope affirmed he was not afraid of the Trump administration and would continue to oppose war and promote diplomacy and peace.
In a speech in Bamenda, Cameroon, last weekend, Pope Leo XIV criticized leaders for spending vast sums of money on destruction but neglecting funding for relief, education, and recovery. The dispute with Trump began when Pope Leo, the first American Pope, criticized the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Pope Leo XIV is currently in the second week of his four-country African tour of Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, which concludes on April 23.