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Pope Leo XIV said Saturday that comments he made this week in which he said “the world is being destroyed by a handful of tyrants” were not directed at President Donald Trump, a report said.
The Pope, speaking on a flight to Angola during his 10-day tour of Africa, said that reporting about his comments “is not accurate in all its aspects” and that his speech “was prepared two weeks ago, before the President had made comments about me and the message of peace that I am promoting,” according to Reuters.
The news outlet quoted the Pope as saying that his comments were not aimed at Trump.
Pope reportedly said, “As it happens, it was viewed as if I was trying to argue with the President, which is not in my best interest at all.”
’60 Minutes’ accused of using left-leaning cardinals to implicate Trump in dispute with Vatican
Pope Leo XIV answers questions from journalists during his flight from Yaoundé, Cameroon, to Luanda, Angola, on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (Luca Zennaro/Pool Photo via AP)
Fox News Digital has contacted the White House for comment.
Trump last Sunday accused Pope Leo XIV of being “terrible” on foreign policy after the Pope criticized the US-Israeli war on Iran.
“He talks about the ‘fear’ of the Trump administration, but doesn’t mention the fear that the Catholic Church and all other Christian organizations had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everyone else for holding church services, even going out, and staying ten or twenty feet apart,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
He added, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have nuclear weapons.”
Pope Leo criticizes those who ‘manipulate religion’ for military or political gain, Trump responds
A split image shows Pope Leo XIV on the left and President Donald Trump on the right amid a public dispute over immigration policy and the conflict involving Iran. (Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images; Salvan Georges/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
During a speech in Cameroon on Thursday, the Pope said, “We must make a decisive change – a true conversion – that will take us in the opposite direction, on a sustainable path rich in human fraternity.”
“The world is being destroyed by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by many supportive brothers and sisters!” He added.
Pope Leo XIV speaks as he meets with the Bamenda community at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Bamenda on April 16, 2026, the fourth day of an 11-day apostolic visit to Africa. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)
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The Pope also said, “Woe to those who manipulate religion and the name of God for their military, economic or political gain, dragging what is sacred into darkness and filth.”
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.
