Pope Leo XIV found support in Iran on Tuesday after his assertive “no fear” remark amid an ongoing feud involving him and US President Donald Trump. Iranian parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, backed Pope Leo XIV through an X post, honouring his “fearless stand”.
““I have no fear” echoes as he condemns the war crimes of Israel and the US. This slogan lights the path for all who refuse to stay silent on the killing of innocents,” the Iranian leader wrote, further thanking the US-born pontiff for the “light”, and for insipiring millions. Follow live updates on the Iran-US war.
Iran’s show of support for Pope Leo XIV comes as Donald Trump draws criticism for openly initiating a feud with the pontiff amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
Trump’s ‘weak’ remark for Pope, his response
Over the weekend, Trump called the Pope “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” suggesting that he was only elected to the top post because of his American nationality and a possible bridge to the Trump administration.
Further escalating the controversy, Trump refused to back down on his criticism of the pontiff and said he won’t apologise. “There’s nothing to apologize for. He’s wrong,” the 79-year-old Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday (local time).
After Trump’s remarks, Pope Leo reportedly said he was not afraid of the US President-led administration. He has “no fear, neither of the Trump administration nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel,” Pope Leo told reporters on the papal plane headed to Africa, according to news agency AFP.
Not just Trump’s words, an AI-generated image he reportedly posted but later took down also added fuel to fire amid his feud with the pontiff. The image purportedly showed Trump as a figure like Jesus Christ, but the President insisted hat he believed the image showed himself as a doctor.
Also Read: Dalai Lama backs Pope Leo’s peace appeal, calls for end to wars
Pope Leo’s views on Iran-US war
Pope Leo XIV has openly expressed his criticism of the war between Iran and the US. In his latest remarks amid the row with Trump, the US-born pontiff said he would continue to speak against the offensive.
“I don’t think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing. I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems,” he said, according to Reuters report.
Pope Leo XIV has also said he is not interested in debating the US President.
