ToplinePresident Donald Trump told reporters Thursday afternoon he doesn't think it’s necessary to meet with Pope Leo XIV, whom he has repeatedly attacked this week over the leader of the Catholic Church’s staunch anti-war stance in a growing clash between Washington and the Vatican. Trump spoke with reporters outside the White House on Thursday afternoon. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)Getty ImagesKey FactsWhen asked by reporters if he would meet with Leo to “even out your differences,” Trump said, “I don’t think it’s necessary.”Trump has never met Leo, the first American pope, who was elected to lead the Catholic Church last year.Trump also doubled down on criticizing the pope, telling reporters Leo “has to understand” Iran killed thousands of protesters earlier this year, adding, “This is the real world, it’s a nasty world.”Trump repeated a claim, without evidence, that Leo “says Iran can have a nuclear weapon,” though Leo has never publicly supported Iran having nuclear weapons, and has frequently criticized nuclear warfare.“I have no disagreement with the fact the pope can say what he wants, and I want him to say what he wants, but I can disagree,” Trump said.Why Are Trump And The Pope Feuding?Trump has repeatedly attacked Leo this week as Washington and the Vatican fracture over the war in Iran. Leo has consistently called for peace and urged leaders involved in the conflict to choose diplomacy over warfare, becoming one of the most prominent global critics of the war. Trump, in a post on Truth Social earlier this week, slammed Leo as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” saying he should “get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense” and “stop catering to the Radical Left.” The Trump administration canceled $11 million in funding for a Catholic charity that offers shelter to migrant children, the Archbishop of Miami said in a column in the Miami Herald on Wednesday. Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019 at age 35, also waded into the clash this week, warning the pope to “be careful” when voicing his opinion on theological issues. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops appeared to push back, saying in a statement Wednesday Leo is “not merely offering opinions on theology,” he is speaking as “supreme pastor of the universal Church” and is upholding longstanding Catholic teachings that war is only justified “in self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed.”Key BackgroundA report in the Free Press claimed a January meeting between Pentagon and Vatican officials was tense, alleging a Pentagon official threatened the Church to take the United States’ side on international affairs, raising the threat of the Avignon Papacy, a period in the 14th century when France ousted the pope and exerted control over the Church. The Pentagon denied the meeting was tense and called the Free Press report “highly exaggerated.” Why Has Trump Not Met Pope Leo Xiv?It’s unclear why Trump and Leo have not met, though Leo appeared to rebuff an invitation by Trump to visit the White House. Just weeks after the papal conclave elected Leo, a Chicago native born Robert Francis Prevost, to become the Church’s first American leader, Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the pope at the Vatican. There, Vance delivered Leo a letter from Trump and First Lady Melania Trump extending an invitation to visit the White House. In February, Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni told reporters Leo has no plans to visit the United States this year. Leo declined an invitation from Trump to visit the United States for its 250th anniversary on July 4, the New York Times reported, though he will make a virtual appearance at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center on July 3. Further ReadingTrump Pulls Funding For Catholic Charity That Helps Migrant Children Amid Clash With Pope (Forbes)U.S. Bishops Rebuff JD Vance After He Says Pope Should ‘Be Careful’ Talking About Theology (Forbes)