Washington, April 15, (dpa/GNA) – US President, Donald Trump, renewed his criticism of Pope Leo XIV over the pontiff’s calls to end global conflicts, accusing him of overlooking Iran’s crackdown on protesters earlier this year.
“Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable,” Trump wrote late on Tuesday on his Truth Social platform.
The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February, in part aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear programme and its ability to develop nuclear weapons. A two-week ceasefire is currently in place.
Protests in Iran began in late December, initially triggered by an economic crisis, but quickly evolving into broader anti-government demonstrations against the Islamic Republic’s authoritarian system. Security forces responded with a violent crackdown.
Pope Leo, speaking during a peace prayer at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Saturday, called for an end to wars, with recent appeals increasingly focusing on the conflict involving Iran.
The pope, the first from the United States, sharply criticized Trump’s threats against Iran, calling them “truly unacceptable,” prompting continued criticism of the pontiff from Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
GNA