Trump’s history of clashes with Popes as president’s feud with Leo escalates

NewsWorldAmericasUS politicsTrump’s history of clashes with Popes as president’s feud with Leo escalatesTrump’s comments on Sunday follow a decade of disputes between the U.S. leader and his Vatican counterparts on topics spanning war to migrationOisin Mcilroy Monday 13 April 2026 16:43 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2956552","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-pope-leo-francis-catholic-church-b2956552.html","title":"Trump’s history of clashes with Popes as president’s feud with Leo escalates"}}CloseTrump criticises Pope Leo, calls him ‘too liberal’ on crime and nuclear stanceSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailGet our free Inside Washington emailEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_INSIDE_WASHINGTON","regTitle":"Inside Washington","subscriptionGroup":"inside_washington","subscriptionGroupId":"af764e04-87eb-45e6-a84b-a7455ba70a1e","type":"inside_washington","pathPrefix":"/news/world/americas/us-politics","associatedAuthors":["Eric Garcia","John Bowden"],"title":"Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox","mobileTitle":"Get our free Inside Washington email","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/insideWashington1_1.png","label":"I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email","newsletterKey":"receiveInsideWashingtonNews","regSourceSection":"US politics","regSourceMethod":"N...