05/05/2026
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05/05/2026
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Pope Leo XIV talks to journalists as he leaves his residence in Castel Gandolfo, on the outskirts of Rome, to return to the Vatican, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
VATICAN, May 5: Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Leo said the Catholic Church “for years has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt there.”
Trump again accused Leo in an interview on Tuesday of being “OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” Leo has said no such thing and the Catholic Church teaching says the mere possession of nuclear weapons is “immoral.”
Leo doubled down on his insistence that his call for peace and dialogue in the U.S-Israeli war in Iran is Biblically inspired.
“I’ve spoken from the first moment of being elected, and we’re near the anniversary: I said ‘Peace be with you,’” Leo said as he left his country house in Castel Gandolfo.
“The mission of the church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace. If someone wants to criticize me for announcing the Gospel, let him do it with the truth,” Leo said. “And so I hope simply to be listened to about the value of the Word of God.”
Meanwhile, Italy has again come to the defence of Pope Leo XIV, backing his calls for peace and dialogue over the Iran conflict, after renewed criticism from US President Donald Trump.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a social media post on Thursday that Trump’s remarks were “neither acceptable nor helpful to the cause of peace.”
“I reaffirm my support for every action and word of Pope Leo; his words are a testament to dialogue, the value of human life, and freedom,” Tajani wrote. He added that Italy’s government remains committed to diplomacy aimed at stability and peace in conflict regions.
Trump, speaking earlier this week in an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, again criticised Pope Leo’s messaging on the Iran war, warning that the pontiff was “endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people.”
The exchange comes as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepares to travel to Italy and the Vatican in an effort widely seen as easing diplomatic tensions with Washington. Rubio is scheduled to meet Pope Leo on Thursday, followed by talks with Tajani and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday.
