Pope Leo's feud with Trump overshadows his spiritual homecoming

AfricaPope Leo's feud with Trump overshadows his spiritual homecoming“God’s heart is torn apart by wars, violence, injustice and lies,” the first American pontiff said Tuesday in Algeria, on a visit to honor his spiritual forefather, St. Augustine.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GooglePope Pushes Back Against Trump in Feud Over Iran War02:14Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 15, 2026, 6:17 AM EDTBy Claudio Lavanga and Alexander SmithANNABA, Algeria — Pope Leo XIV came to North Africa to honor his spiritual forefather, St. Augustine, who preached that war was only justified to protect the innocent.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.So perhaps it’s fitting the visit has been overshadowed by his escalating feud with Donald Trump over the first American pontiff's criticism of the war in Iran.Even when not mentioning Trump directly, Leo’s remarks during this 11-day African trip have been given a different meaning amid his public disagreement with the president.“God’s heart is torn apart by wars, violence, injustice and lies,” he said Tuesday on a visit to a care home in the Algerian port city of Annaba. “But our Father’s heart is not with the wicked, the arrogant or the proud.”Pope Leo in Algiers, Algeria on Monday.Vatican Pool / Getty ImagesThe pope arrived in Algeria on Monday, the first visit to the country by a sitting pontiff.On Wednesday he was flying to Cameroon, where separatists announced a three-day pause in deadly violence to allow Leo safe passage to a "peace meeting" Thursday.From Cameroon, he will go on to Angola and Equatorial Guinea.The Algerian leg was a religious homecoming. Leo is a member of the Order of St. Augustine, which was founded on the teachings of the 5th-century saint who lived and studied in the Roman city of Hippo, now modern-day Annaba.Leo took a pilgrimage to those ruins Tuesday, arriving during a rainstorm with shar...