Pope Leo XIV addresses interpretations of his remarks, denies feud with President Trump
via Punch Nigeria1 min read
Pope Leo XIV stated on Saturday that he regretted how his remarks were interpreted as a response to criticism from President Donald Trump, emphasizing he has no interest in debating the US leader. He clarified that a speech he delivered in Cameroon on Thursday about "tyrants" ransacking the world was written before Trump's comments about him and his message of peace. The Pope noted that the remarks were perceived as an attempt to start a new debate with the President, which he said does not interest him. He added that much of what has been written since then has been commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what was said. Pope Leo XIV had made the "tyrants" remarks during a visit to Bamenda, Cameroon, the center of an English-speaking separatist insurgency. These remarks were interpreted by US media as a reference to Trump. Trump had previously stated on April 12 that he was "not a big fan of Pope Leo" and accused him of "toying with a country Iran that wants a nuclear weapon," later reiterating his comments on Truth Social, saying, "I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon" and that "Pope Leo is weak on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy."
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
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