ROME (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has made a scathing attack of Pope Leo XIV over his stance on the Middle East war and U.S. immigration policy.
In a lengthy, strongly worded statement posted on Truth Social Sunday evening, he called Pope Leo 'WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy.'
The head of the Catholic church last week had openly denounced Trump's threat that 'a whole civilization will die tonight,' a rhetoric targeting the people of Iran, saying it was 'truly unacceptable.'
'He talks about '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 everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart,' Trump wrote.
He added, 'I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. 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'.
Trump said Leo, the first American pope, was elected to the top post 'as a shocking surprise'.
'He wasn't on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump', according to him.
'If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican.'
He accused Leo of 'Weak on Crime', and 'Weak on Nuclear Weapons'. He advised Pope Leo to 'use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician'. 'It's hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it's hurting the Catholic Church.'
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