WASHINGTON, United States (MNTV) – President Donald Trump falsely claimed that Pope Leo XIV had stated Iran should be allowed to possess nuclear weapons, even while insisting he is not “fighting” with the pontiff over the Iran war.
“I have nothing against the pope,” Trump told reporters. “I’m not fighting with him. The pope made a statement, he says Iran can have a nuclear weapon. And I say Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
The pope has made no such statement and has a long history of opposing nuclear weapons.
Pope Leo, one of the most vocal critics of the Iran war, has repeatedly called on leaders to pursue dialogue and a peaceful resolution. Speaking in Cameroon Thursday during an 11-day African tour, he sharply criticized those who use religion to justify military action. “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,” he said at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Bamenda.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, but 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.”
He did not mention Trump or Iran’s nuclear program by name.
Trump separately posted a new AI-generated image on Truth Social showing Jesus with his arms draped around the president in front of an American flag.
“The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!” he wrote. The post came a day after he insisted a previous AI image depicting him as a Christ-like figure was intended to show him as a doctor.