Pope Leo has said that the world is being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” as a row deepens with President Trump over the war in Iran.
Speaking on a visit to Cameroon, the pontiff, in markedly forceful remarks, blasted leaders who spend billions on wars. Leo, the first American pope, also decried leaders who use religious language to justify wars and urged a “decisive change of course”.
“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,” Leo said. “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.”
He also sharply criticised leaders who invoked religious themes to justify wars, saying: “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.”
Leo said the world had “turned upside-down”, and that this was an “exploitation of God’s creation that must be denounced and rejected by every honest conscience”. He made similar remarks last month when he said that God rejected the prayers of leaders with “hands full of blood”, which were widely interpreted as an attack on the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, who has used Christian language to justify the ongoing war in Iran.
The new Pope has emerged as an outspoken critic of Donald Trump’s war in Iran, which has sparked fighting across the Middle East and a global economic crisis. The president has in turn attacked the Pope, writing on Truth Social that he was “WEAK on crime and terrible for foreign policy”.
Mr Trump attacked him again on social media on Tuesday, and on Wednesday posted an image of Jesus embracing him, after an earlier image he posted that portrayed him as a Jesus-like figure prompted widespread criticism.
JD Vance then sparked further controversy when he warned the Pope, the most visible leader of Christianity in the world, that he should “be careful when he talks about theology”, saying: “How can you say that God was never on the side of those who wield the sword?”
Mr Trump said later on Thursday the pontiff was free to say what he wanted,but that it was important for him to understand that Iran could never have a nuclear weapon.
"The Pope has to understand - it's very simple - Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. The world would be in great danger," he told reporters at the White House.
Leo spent nearly 50 years working in the church, including as a priest, missionary and cardinal, before being elected pontiff last year.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, said on Thursday that she stood with Pope Leo in his “courageous call for a kingdom of peace”.
"I stand with my brother in Christ, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, in his courageous call for a kingdom of peace," Mullally, the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, said in a statement.
Leo arrived at the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, on Wednesday at a time of ongoing conflict. More than 6,500 people have been killed and more than half a million displaced in fighting between government forces and anglophone separatist groups, according to the International Crisis Group.
Priests are frequently kidnapped and held for ransom, and some have been killed, according to Reuters. It was announced that a three-day ceasefire would be observed during the Pope’s visit, allowing civilians and visitors to move freely around the country.
Leo expressed optimism, even though efforts to broker a peace deal have proved largely ineffective so far, saying he was heartened that the conflict “has not degenerated into a religious war” and that Christian and Muslim leaders could mediate an end to the fighting.
Urging the government of the Central African nation to root out corruption and resist the “whims of the rich and powerful”, his presence in the country has stirred hopes that steps could be taken to resolve the conflict.
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