Vatican visitors defend Pope Leo XIV, blast Trump’s “absurd” remarks 

by Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku, Face2FaceAfrica.com

Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump – Photo credit: Ricardo Stuckert/PR and Gage Skidmore

nger and disbelief rippled through the Vatican on Tuesday as visitors reacted to U.S. President Donald Trump’s sharp criticism of Pope Leo XIV over his call to tone down war rhetoric.

The clash between the American president and the U.S.-born pontiff has stirred global attention. Trump labeled Leo “weak” and accused him of aligning with the “radical left’’ in a social media post, responding to the pope’s warning that Trump’s threats toward Iran were “truly unacceptable.’’

Back at the Vatican, tourists, according to an AP report, largely sided with the pope, even as he remains on a 10-day visit to Africa.

“It’s just ridiculous, because if the pope is not speaking about peace, and is not taking care about every people in the world, he’s not the pope,’’ said Joerg Soler, a visitor from Switzerland.

Mariella Acciaioli, a tourist from France, was equally blunt. “It’s completely inappropriate,’’ she said. “Things are getting too much. We need to mobilize everyone, especially our leaders, to deal with this behavior that is going beyond every limit.”

Another American visitor, Paul Sarauskas, said he was stunned by Trump’s remarks, describing them as “absurd.’’

“I think he needs to keep his nose out of religion. He’s telling the pope what to do. He’s telling the pope how to do his job,’’ Sarauskas said. “Where the pope just wants to do good things, right? He wants to talk about peace, about helping other people, whereas the current administration is doing something completely opposite. They’re just tearing people apart. They’re talking about division and war and hate.”

Italian journalist Massimo Franco suggested the criticism reflects a deeper misunderstanding of the papacy’s role. According to him, the pope’s responsibility extends far beyond national interests.

“A pope must be a pope. He must respond to a wider community. And if he sees that Trump’s policy risks to give a distorted view of the United States, I think the pope is helping the United States as well, not just the United States, to find the right path,’’ Franco said.

Antonio Spadaro said the tension points to a different kind of imbalance. The Jesuit priest argued that Trump’s reaction to what he called a moral authority underscores a limitation of political power.

“He can’t bring the pope to the same terrain where he has brought everyone else, where he can dominate with language,’’ Spadaro told Italian Radio 24.”In this sense, the moral force of the church is evident. It is not a counter-power but a space in which power is being judged by criteria that power itself cannot control.”