Italian PM, Poland, Iran flay U.S. President’s insult on Pope

Trump had  posted an AI-generated photo of himself seemingly dressed as Jesus Christ shortly after slamming Pope Leo XIV as “weak.”

On Sunday night, Trump posted a tirade on Truth Social about Pope Leo — the first American to be chosen for the position — who has been vocally opposed to the war in Iran as well as the president’s immigration policy. “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy … I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump wrote. “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country. And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History.”

But, Meloni called Trump’s remarks against Pope Leo XIV “unacceptable.”

“I find President Trump’s words regarding the Holy Father to be unacceptable. The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal that he should call for peace and condemn all forms of war,” Meloni said in a statement issued by her office.

Iran’s president condemned  Trump’s insults aimed at disrespect towards the pontiff and Jesus as unacceptable.

On US social media company X, Masoud Pezeshkian condemned Trump’s remarks “on behalf of the great nation of Iran,” adding that the desecration of “Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood,” is not acceptable to any free person.

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Iran’s Foreign Ministry later also criticized Trump’s remarks.

“In an era when the thunder of bombs and the clamor of warlords and aggressors weigh heavily on the world’s conscience, the words of Pope Leo XIV echo the profound call of the Gospel: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’,” ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on X, adding that insulting the pope is “not only unchristian,” but also “a blatant assault on responsible advocacy for peace, justice and humanity.”

The pope, in response, said he was not afraid of the Trump administration and would continue to speak out against war, emphasizing that his position is rooted in religious principles rather than politics. He also said he had no intention of entering into a direct debate with Trump.

The national security advisor to Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who is a conservative Trump ally, has criticised the US president for his social media posts attacking Pope Leo XIV and sharing an image that appears to depict Trump as Jesus.

“President Trump’s post (and the graphic attached to it) regarding His Holiness Pope Leo XIV exceeds all norms and is an insult to the Vicar of Christ, and thus to all Catholics!” wrote Sławomir Cenkiewicz, head of Nawrocki’s National Security Bureau (BBN), on X.