Pope Leo XIV sought to defuse escalating tensions with President Donald Trump during his Africa tour, telling reporters aboard the papal plane that debating the U.S. leader was "not in my interest at all."
The first American pope addressed the controversy while flying from Cameroon to Angola on Saturday, part of his ambitious 10-day, four-country African tour spanning 18,000 kilometers across 18 flights.
There's been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects, but because of the political situation created when, on the first day of the trip, the president of the United States made some comments about myself
Pope Leo XIV — The Independent
The papal-presidential clash began April 12 when Trump attacked Leo on Truth Social, calling him "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy." Trump also posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure, which was removed the following morning after widespread criticism.
Trump's criticism targeted Leo's growing opposition to the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, which began with joint strikes on February 28. The pope has consistently called for peace and dialogue, specifically denouncing Trump's threat to "annihilate Iranian civilization" as "truly unacceptable."
The Independent frames this as a diplomatic de-escalation story, emphasizing Leo's attempts to clarify misunderstandings while providing detailed context about the timeline of events. Their coverage focuses on the pope's pastoral mission in Africa rather than the political controversy, reflecting Britain's traditional role as a diplomatic mediator in international disputes.