President Donald Trump said he is pressing Pope Leo XIV with pointed questions over the pontiff’s continued opposition to the war with Iran, escalating a growing public disagreement between the two leaders.

In an early morning interview with The New York Post, Trump said he is seeking clarity from the pope regarding his stance on Iran’s actions and nuclear ambitions. “Why does the pope think it is fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon and to kill 42,000 unarmed protesters?” Trump said.

The president voiced frustration with the criticism coming from the American-born pontiff as a two-week ceasefire in the conflict nears its expiration on Wednesday.

“This is one of the most important wars. I said to the pope you can’t allow them to have a nuclear weapon because they will use it and millions of people will be dead, including Italians and Catholics around the world,” Trump said.

“And you can’t allow a country to kill 42,000 unarmed protesters, many of which were young people who they hanged from a crane in a public square.”

The Vatican press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump has argued that his strategy is aimed at securing long-term peace by weakening Iran’s military capabilities and nuclear program, while expressing irritation at repeated rebukes from the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Leo XIV has called for an end to what he described as the “madness of war” and has criticized leaders who initiate armed conflict, referring to them as “arrogant.”

During a Palm Sunday mass on March 29, the pope said, “God ‘does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.’”

Trump has responded by dismissing the pope’s position as misguided, calling him naive and “terrible for foreign policy.”

The dispute has also intersected with comments from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who publicly invoked Christianity while expressing support for the U.S. military campaign.

As tensions between Trump and the pope intensified, the president also drew attention earlier this month by sharing an image on Truth Social that appeared to depict him as Yoshkah performing a miracle.

The image was later removed, with Trump explaining that he believed it portrayed him as a doctor.

{Matzav.com}