After President Donald Trump blasted Pope Leo’s remarks on the United States’ actions in Iran, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker defended the pontiff.
Pritzker, who visited with the pope earlier this year in Rome, said that Leo has a “higher calling” when it comes to speaking out on moral issues, and that his remarks on the Iran conflict fit with that calling.
“The Pope lifts his voice as part of a higher calling – one centered on peace and the preservation of human life,” Pritzker said.
After the U.S. began strikes against Iran, Pope Leo was critical of the administration, and that continued over the weekend. Leo said Saturday during an evening prayer service at St. Peter’s Basilica that a “delusion of omnipotence” was fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran. The comments came the same day that the United States and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan during a fragile ceasefire.
The pope had earlier named Trump directly and expressed optimism that the president would seek “an off-ramp” in Iran. An even stronger condemnation came after Trump warned of mass strikes against Iranian power plants and infrastructure, writing on social media that “an entire civilization will die tonight.” Leo described that as a “threat against the entire people of Iran” and said it was “truly unacceptable.”
In response, Trump posted a lengthy statement on his TruthSocial platform calling Leo “weak on crime” and accusing the pontiff of being in favor of Iran possessing nuclear weapons.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the president wrote in his post, adding, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
On a trip to Africa this week, his first since assuming the role of pope last year, the first American-born pontiff was asked about the president’s comments.
“To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is,” Leo told The Associated Press aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria. “And I’m sorry to hear that, but I will continue on what I believe is the mission of the church in the world today.”
The back-and-forth between the world’s two most influential Americans served to deepen a burgeoning schism as the U.S. war in Iran stretched into its seventh week.
Leo stressed that he was not making a direct attack against Trump or anyone else with his general appeal for peace and criticisms of the Iran war and other conflicts around the world.
“I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for,” said Leo, who said he had a different perspective on foreign policy than elected officials. “I will continue to speak out strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems.”
Trump was questioned about the social media post during an event at the White House on Monday.
“He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran. Pope Leo would not be happy with the end result,” Trump said, adding, “I think he’s very weak on crime and other things so I’m not (going to apologize). He went public. I’m just responding to Pope Leo.”
Talks between the U.S. and Iran did not yield an end to hostilities over the weekend, but the two sides are continuing to discuss an end to the conflict. Trump has now threatened to blockade the Strait of Hormuz to ratchet up pressure on Iran, with lawmakers in Congress criticizing his rhetoric and actions in recent weeks.
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