Trump calls Pope Leo "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy."

Politics Trump takes aim at Pope Leo, calling him "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy." By Jordan Freiman Jordan Freiman News Editor Jordan Freiman is a news editor for CBSNews.com. He covers breaking news, trending stories, sports and crime. Jordan has previously worked at Spin and Death and Taxes. Read Full Bio Jordan Freiman Updated on: April 12, 2026 / 11:03 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google President Trump lashed out at Pope Leo XIV in a lengthy social media post Sunday night, calling the pontiff "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy."Leo has been critical of the war in Iran and has previously made statements at odds with other priorities of the Trump administration, such as the ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration."I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don't want a Pope who thinks it's terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country," Mr. Trump wrote.Leo had called Mr. Trump's threat to completely destroy Iranian civilization "truly unacceptable," and encouraged people to "contact the authorities — political leaders, congressmen — to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war, always." On Saturday, while he did not mention Mr. Trump by name, Leo said during a prayer vigil for peace at St. Peter's Basilica, "Enough with the idolatry of self and money! Enough with the display of force! Enough with war! True strength is manifested in serving life." Pope Leo XIV addresses those gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the Regina Caeli on April 12, 2026, in Vatican City, Vatican. Elisabetta Trevisan - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool / Getty Images He also urged an end to the war through negotiations, saying, "Certainly, the leaders of nations have compelling responsibilities. We cry out to them: sto...