Pope Leo rubbishes Donald Trump claims he supports nuclear weapons
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, the first US-born pontiff said he had never backed weapons of mass destruction adding: “The mission of the church is to preach the gospel, to preach peace.”
In his latest attack, Trump claimed the Pope "thinks its fine for Iran to have nuclear weapons" without providing evidence.
Speaking outside the paper residence in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo said: “If someone wants to criticise me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully. For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt on that point.”
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Earlier in the day, Trump told Hugh Hewitt, a prominent conservative radio talkshow host: “The pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don’t think that’s very good.
“I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people. But I guess if it’s up to the pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
The comments came ahead of the Pope meeting with US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Thursday.
(Image: Aaron Chown)
The US ambassador to the Holy See told reporters the meeting would include a “frank conversation” about the Trump administration’s policies.
A rift between the US president and the head of the Catholic Church last month saw President Trump lambast the pontiff as being “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”, which drew fierce criticism from Christians.
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At the height of the dispute, vice president JD Vance said the Pope should be "careful when he talks about matters of theology".
The Rubio meeting will be the first known private audience Pope Leo has had with a member of Trump’s cabinet since Vance met the pope a day after his papal inauguration mass in May last year.
On Friday, Rubio will also meet the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, whom Trump berated in April after she criticised his remarks against the Pope.
