Pope Leo attempted to put some distance between himself and the prevailing media narrative surrounding his relationship with President Donald Trump — namely that the two are at odds — and said that he was not at all interested in debating the American President.
The Catholic leader framed the narrative as beginning with Trump’s most recent comments about him, calling him “weak” — although their public differences stretch back to comments Pope Leo made about the Trump administration’s military actions in Iran — and claimed that the media was creating a spectacle where one did not really exist.
WATCH:
NEW: Pope Leo downplays tensions with President Trump, addressing a “narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects.”
He says it is “not in my interest at all” to debate the president and will keep preaching a message of peace. pic.twitter.com/DwG6BiUsaP
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 18, 2026
“There has been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects,” Pope Leo explained. “But because of the political situation created when — on the first day of the trip, the President of the United States made some comments about myself. Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary trying to interpret what has been said.”
“Just one little example, the talk that I gave at the prayer meeting for peace a couple of days ago was prepared two weeks ago, well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting,” he said, arguing that it could not possibly have been a response to Trump’s attacks. “And yet, as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate again the president, which is not in my interest at all.”
Vice President JD Vance thanked the Pope for addressing the dishonest media narrative, saying, “I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this. While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict – and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen – the reality is often much more complicated. Pope Leo preaches the gospel, as he should, and that will inevitably mean he offers his opinions on the moral issues of the day. The President – and the entire administration – work to apply those moral principles in a messy world. He will be in our prayers, and I hope that we’ll be in his.”
Pope Leo has been broadly commenting on military action against Iran since the war between the Iranian regime and Israel in 2025 and through Operation Epic Fury, which began at the end of February. He has repeatedly called for peace through meaningful dialogue in spite of repeated demonstrations proving that the Iranian regime is neither interested in good faith negotiations nor willing to facilitate any kind of lasting peace.
Trump has pushed back, pointing out the clear examples of Iran’s aggression and refusal to negotiate honestly and arguing that continuing diplomacy in the face of such aggression was as unwise as it was dangerous. During a recent press gaggle, when asked what he’d say to Iran about the fact that four civilian protesters — one of them a woman — were set to be executed, Trump suggested that the press inform the Pope of that development.
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