An unusual feud between President Donald Trump and the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, has broken out in recent days over the United States and Israel's war with Iran, even drawing in other international religious leaders.
The pope has been outspoken in his criticism of the war, which Trump said he launched Feb. 28 to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. A tenuous ceasefire is underway, but so far peace talks between U.S. and Iranian leaders have failed to reach a resolution.
"Blessed are the peacemakers. But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth," Leo said on April 16, while in Cameroon during a four-country trip to Africa.
"The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants," he said, not specifically naming Trump or the war against Iran.
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