Trump takes fresh swipe at pontiff ahead of Rubio visit to Vatican.US president Donald Trump has renewed his public attacks on Pope Leo XIV, accusing the pontiff of putting Catholics in danger, escalating tensions between Washington and the Vatican.Trump made the remarks in a television interview, just days before US secretary of state Marco Rubio is due in Rome in what has been widely described as a damage-limitation mission. Speaking on The Hugh Hewitt Show, Trump claimed the pope believes it is "just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon" and accused him of "endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people". Attacks The latest outburst extends a weeks-long public spat between the US president and the Chicago-born pontiff - the first American to lead the Catholic Church. The dispute began after Leo declared that Trump's threat to destroy Iran was "unacceptable" and called on Americans to urge their lawmakers to work for peace. Trump responded by attacking the pope on social media as "weak on crime" and "terrible for foreign policy", adding that he was not a big fan and did not want a pope who sided with Iran on nuclear weapons. The US president also posted an AI-generated image of himself apparently dressed as Jesus Christ in the act of healing the sick, sparking widespread accusations of blasphemy from Catholics and others around the world. The pope replied by stating he had a "moral duty to speak out" against war, and stressed he had no fear of the Trump administration. Prime minister Giorgia Meloni, who has generally positioned herself as a close ally of Trump, eventually broke with him on the issue, stating she found his words toward the Holy Father "unacceptable" and stressing that it is "right and normal" for the pope to call for peace. Rubio The Rubio visit, scheduled for 6-8 May, is the first high-ranking encounter between the Vatican and a senior US official since the feud erupted. A state department spokesperson said the trip's purpose was to advance "bilateral relations with Italy and the Vatican." Rubio is also expected to meet Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani and defence minister Guido Crosetto, with a possible meeting with Meloni also under consideration. Cuba and the situation in the Middle East are reported to be on the agenda. The visit coincides with the first anniversary of Pope Leo's papacy. He was elected on 8 May 2025 following the death of Pope Francis, and leads a global Catholic community of some 1.4 billion faithful. Rubio, who is Catholic, had previously met the pope on the day of his inauguration. Photo credit: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com

US president Donald Trump has renewed his public attacks on Pope Leo XIV, accusing the pontiff of putting Catholics in danger, escalating tensions between Washington and the Vatican. Trump made the remarks in a television interview, just days before US secretary of state Marco Rubio is due in Rome in what has been widely described as a damage-limitation mission. Speaking on The Hugh Hewitt Show, Trump claimed the pope believes it is "just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon" and accused him of "endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people". The latest outburst extends a weeks-long public spat between the US president and the Chicago-born pontiff - the first American to lead the Catholic Church. The dispute began after Leo declared that Trump's threat to destroy Iran was "unacceptable" and called on Americans to urge their lawmakers to work for peace. Trump responded by  as "weak on crime" and "terrible for foreign policy", adding that he was not a big fan and did not want a pope who sided with Iran on nuclear weapons. The US president also posted an AI-generated image of himself apparently dressed as Jesus Christ in the act of healing the sick, sparking widespread accusations of blasphemy from Catholics and others around the world. The pope replied by stating he had a "moral duty to speak out" against war, and stressed he had . Prime minister Giorgia Meloni, who has generally positioned herself as a close ally of Trump, eventually broke with him on the issue, stating she found his  and stressing that it is "right and normal" for the pope to call for peace. The , is the first high-ranking encounter between the Vatican and a senior US official since the feud erupted. A state department spokesperson said the trip's purpose was to advance "bilateral relations with Italy and the Vatican." Rubio is also expected to meet Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani and defence minister Guido Crosetto, with a possible meeting with Meloni also under consideration. Cuba and the situation in the Middle East are reported to be on the agenda. The visit coincides with the . He was elected on 8 May 2025 following the death of Pope Francis, and leads a global Catholic community of some 1.4 billion faithful. Rubio, who is Catholic, had previously met the pope on the day of his inauguration. Photo credit: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com