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Pope Leo and Donald Trump have been locked in a war of words.
12:56, Thu, Apr 16, 2026 Updated: 13:46, Thu, Apr 16, 2026
Pope Leo is visiting Cameroon (Image: Getty)
Pope Leo hit out at "tyrants" who spend billions on wars - just days after Donald Trump lashed out at him in a series of extraordinary attacks. The leader of the Catholic Church also voiced his criticism of the "masters of the war" while on a visit to Cameroon.
Upon criticising leaders who used religious language to justify wars, the US-born pope urged a "decisive change of course". He said: "The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild. They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found."In his decisive speech, Pope Leo also hit out an "endless cycle of destabilisation and death" while speaking from a region that's been in the grip of a separatist insurgency for nearly a decade. He said: "Those who rob your land of its resources generally invest much of the profit in weapons, thus perpetuating an endless cycle of destabilisation and death."
Attendees shelter from the rain under a Pope Leo XIV banner as they wait for him to arrive at Bamend (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The comments from the US-born pontiff come amid growing tensions in the Middle East and an escalating feud with Trump.
Speaking on his Truth Social account, Trump branded the pontiff 'a very liberal person' who is 'WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy'.
Trump also credited himself with making the 70 year-old pope and that this only happened 'because he was an American'.
He added: "If I wasn't in the White House , Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican."
He later sparked fresh controversy by sharing an AI-generated image that appeared to portray him as Jesus Christ, drawing backlash even from some of his usual supporters.
On Thursday, the Pope arrived at Saint Joseph’s Cathedral under military escort in a bulletproof vehicle, blessing the cheering crowds who had gathered to welcome him.
Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni have publicly clashed over Iran and the Pope (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
People sang, blew horns and played music as they waved Vatican and Cameroonian flags, many dressed in traditional outfits bearing the Pope’s image.
The Pope said: "Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.
"It is a world turned upside down, an exploitation of God’s creation that must be denounced and rejected by every honest conscience."
Trump’s comments have caused a rift with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, once seen as his closest European ally.
Meloni criticised his decision to strike Iran and called his attacks on the Pope “unacceptable”.
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She defended the Pope’s calls for peace, saying it was right for him to condemn war.
In an intreview with Corriere della Sera Trump hit back and said: "She is the one who is unacceptable because she doesn’t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if it had the chance."
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