Hegseth Faces Impeachment Pressure Over Iran Rhetoric | Anita Powell

Apr 16, 2026 | “We’ll see how that proceeds on Capitol Hill.”

Hegseth’s “posturing” and return to “controversial threats” towards Iran are exactly what have “led to articles of impeachment”, says US reporter Anita Powell.

Why Has US President Donald Trump Fallen Out with the Pope? | The Global Story

Pope Leo XIV has said he has “no fear of the Trump administration”, after his criticism of the Iran war drew scorn from President Donald Trump.

On Sunday, the US President called the Pope “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy”, and posted a now-deleted AI image of himself depicted as a Christ-like figure. The posts caused outrage among Catholics and the religious right, but he has said he will not apologise to the Pope.

We speak to BBC presenter and author Edward Stourton, who has reported on religious affairs and US politics for decades, about what happens when an American president takes on an American Pope.

Pope Leo Shares Message of Unity amid Spat with Trump: ‘We Can Live in Peace’

THE GUARDIAN: Leo doubles down on his message of peace as Trump and JD Vance continue to squabble with and insult the Vatican

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | Pope Leo XIV speaks to journalists aboard his flight bound for Yaoundé-Nsimalen international airport in Cameroon on Wednesday. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/AP
The ongoing squabble between the Trump administration and the Vatican over the war in Iran took another twist on Wednesday when Pope Leo shared a message of peace and healing after the latest angry broadside from the White House.

On Tuesday, JD Vance capped several days of insults by insinuating the pontiff was not being truthful in matters of theology, and did not understand the concept of war.

“How can you say that God is never on the side of those who wield the sword?” the vice-president said during a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia, at which he was heckled by anti-war protesters. » | Richard Luscombe and agency | Wednesday, April 15, 2026

I am not a Roman Catholic, but in my estimation, for what it's worth, I think that the Catholic Church and the world are truly blessed to have such a wonderful pope. — © Mark Alexander

Trump 'Shocked' by Italian PM as She Defends Pope Leo and Denounces Iran War | ABC NEWS

Apr 15, 2026 | Donald Trump has lashed out at Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after she expressed solidarity with Pope Leo. Meloni was considered a close ally of Trump. She attended his inauguration and visited Mar-a-Lago. The US President gave several critical remarks to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera in which he criticised the right-wing prime minister for not supporting the US-Israel war in Iran.

In Leo, Trump Faces a Different Kind of Papal Opponent

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Unlike his predecessor, Pope Leo XIV enjoys growing support from a broad swath of conservative Catholics.

Donald Trump ascended to office 10 years ago while publicly jousting with Pope Francis, who was routinely making headlines for the progressive Catholicism he elevated, pushing the Roman Catholic Church to focus on climate change and the rights of immigrants. The pope suggested that Mr. Trump was “not Christian”; Mr. Trump fired back that Francis was “disgraceful.”

Mr. Trump capitalized on growing discontent among conservative Christians and won the White House. The chasm only further widened between the Vatican and conservative American Catholics, who often saw in Mr. Trump a champion.

Pope Leo XIV, who was elected less than a year ago, is not Francis. For Mr. Trump, who is now in his second term, he presents a new foil at the Vatican with a markedly different standing among Catholics. As the first American in the seat of St. Peter, he has a native fluency in American politics and culture, and his leadership is supported across broad swaths of the American church.

This new dynamic was at play in a pointed exchange on Sunday night and Monday, when Mr. Trump unleashed a tirade on social media against Leo, who then stood his ground. » | Elizabeth Dias and Motoko Rich | Elizabeth Dias, the national religion correspondent, reported from Washington. Motoko Rich, the Rome bureau chief, reported from Algiers, where she is traveling with Pope Leo XIV. | Tuesday, April 14, 2026

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Vance Says the Pope Should Be More Careful When Talking About Theology

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The vice president, who is Catholic, took issue with Pope Leo XIV’s statement that disciples of Christ are “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”

Vice President JD Vance invoked World War II on Tuesday to defend the U.S. bombing of Iran from criticism by Pope Leo XIV, extending the Trump administration’s spat with the Catholic Church and underlining the White House’s struggle to justify an unpopular war.

Mr. Vance, who is Catholic, told a conservative audience at the University of Georgia that the pope was wrong to say that disciples of Christ are “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”

“Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis?” Mr. Vance said after referring to the pope’s comment. “I certainly think the answer is yes.”

President Trump has appeared stung by Leo’s condemnation of the war, criticism that has highlighted the challenge the administration faces from the coalition of conservative and religious voters who helped elect Mr. Trump in 2024. The president lashed out at the pope on Sunday in a social media post that called the first American-born pontiff “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.” » | Anton Troianovski | Reporting from Washington | Tuesday, April 14, 2026

For JD Vance to question Pope Leo's understanding of theology is truly the height of insolence. JD Vance is being impudent, impertinent, and he is showing extremely bad form. How shameless can one be? — Mark Alexander

What's the Fallout from the Dispute between Trump and Pope Leo? | Inside Story

Apr 14, 2026 | Already fraught, the relationship between the US and the Vatican is getting worse. It's the result of an unusual public exchange between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church spoke out against the Iran war, drawing a backlash from the US leader.

But Pope Leo has remained defiant, saying he isn't afraid of the Trump administration.

It's not the first time the White House has been on the receiving end of criticism from the Vatican. So, is this political interference or a moral duty to speak out? And what are the consequences?

Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault

Guests:

Cornel West -- Professor and Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at the Union Theological Seminary
Adolfo Franco -- US Republican strategist
Christopher White -- Vatican journalist and author of a book on Pope Leo

Democracy Now! President vs. Pope: Trump Posts Picture of Self as Jesus; Pope Says Warmakers Have “Hands Full of Blood”

Apr 14, 2026 | The first-ever pope from the United States is clashing with the White House. Pope Leo XIV, head of the Catholic Church, which counts more than a billion people in the world as its members, has spoken out forcefully against war. He said in his Palm Sunday address that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war … [whose] hands are full of blood.” In response, President Donald Trump said Pope Leo is “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy.” Trump is also under fire for sharing an AI-generated image that appears to show himself as Jesus Christ. Pressed about the controversy in an interview on Fox News, Trump’s Catholic Vice President JD Vance said the pope should “stick to matters of morality.”

Democracy Now! can be supported here.

Trump’s Latest Depiction as Jesus Christ Is ‘Deeply Offensive’ | Michael Gove

Apr 14, 2026 | “It's just not constant with the dignity of the president of the United States to compare himself to our Lord and Saviour in the same way as is not appropriate for the leader of the free world to say that he's going to end the civilisation if he doesn't get his way.”

Trump’s depiction of himself as Jesus Christ is “deeply offensive” says former Conservative Cabinet minister Michael Gove.

Influential U.S. Cardinals Caution against Iran War, Trump Immigration Policies

Apr 13, 2026 | In the months since his election, Pope Leo has spoken up against both the war in Iran and the mass deportation of migrants in the U.S. His statements have inspired American cardinals to speak out.

Trump’s Pope Spat Is a Serious Error with His Key Supporters | David Charter

Apr 14, 2026 | "He’s back-pedalling as fast as he can."

Trump has made a major "misstep" by picking a fight with the Pope, drawing "a lot of criticism" from people who are usually supportive, says The Times’s David Charter.

”Blessed Are the Peacemakers”

Pope Leo: This is the message of the Gospel.

Trump Attacks Pope Leo as Too Liberal and ‘Weak on Crime’

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Trump’s lengthy post on social media showed there were really no boundaries when it comes to people he might target, including the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

Pope Leo XIV is one of the world’s most powerful critics of the U.S. war with Iran. In recent days, he has condemned the worship of mortals and money, the pitfalls of arrogance, and the “absurd and inhuman violence” unleashed by fighting that has further destabilized the Middle East.

His many admonishments over the past week appear to have reached President Trump, who responded to those calls for peace by scorching the first American-born pontiff on social media and then taking personal credit for Leo’s ascension to the papacy.

“Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise,” Mr. Trump wrote in a lengthy social media post on Sunday night. “He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”

When he sent the post, the president was fresh off a weekend of attending a mixed martial arts fight in Miami and spending time with supporters at his golf club after negotiations with Iran had failed. He criticized Leo as “weak on crime” — an insult he usually reserves for Democratic mayors — and “terrible for foreign policy.” He said that he much preferred the pope’s brother Louis because of his support for the MAGA movement — “He gets it!” Mr. Trump wrote. The president also accused the pope of “catering to the radical left” and then offered a piece of advice, to “focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.” » | Katie Rogers | Katie Rogers is a White House correspondent. She reported from Washington. | Sunday, April 12, 2026

Pope Leo Urges End to ‘Madness of War’ in Strongest Signal Yet | Christopher Lamb

Apr 12, 2026 | “We are seeing him move into second or third gear.”

Pope Leo is beginning to speak out more forcefully on global conflict, calling for an “off ramp” to end the Iran war, as his measured, “slow burn” leadership style starts to take shape, says CNN’s Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb.

Furious Pope Turns Tables on Trump after Death Threat!

Apr 9, 2026 | MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on the shocking details of the Trump administration threatening the Pope for speaking out against Trump and Meiselas speaks with Christopher Hale who runs the popular Catholic Substack newsletter called Letters fro Leo.

The only god Americans worship is Mammon! They appear to have little or no understanding of any other god. This is proven by their godless actions and empty, faux religious rhetoric. Americans can teach the world little or nothing about true Christianity, and their country is no example to emulate. Trump himself is about as far from the teachings of Christ as it is possible to be! — © Mark Alexander

Pope Says ‘Enough of War’ and Decries ‘Delusion of Omnipotence’ at Peace Vigil

THE GUARDIAN: Leo’s comments did not directly mention war in Iran but read as his strongest condemnation of the conflict yet

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | Pope Leo XIV presides over a prayer vigil and rosary for peace in St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on 11 April. Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters
Pope Leo XIV stepped into the international political arena at evening prayers in St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Saturday, saying prayer for peace is “a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive.”

The first US-born pope said: “Even the holy Name of God, the God of life, is being dragged into discourses of death.”

Addressing world leaders who decide to go to war, Leo said: “To them we cry out: stop! It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation – not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided.”

“Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life,” he added. » | Edward Helmore | Saturday, April 11, 2026

Pope at Odds with Trump after ‘Very Strange’ Pentagon Meeting, Says Confidante of Pope Leo

Apr 9, 2026 | “It is a fragile moment between the Holy See and the United States.”

A reported Pentagon meeting perceived as a “threat” by the Vatican has deepened tensions between Pope Leo and the Trump, amid wider disagreements over war and diplomacy, says confidante of Pope Leo Christopher Hale.


This wonderful pope is a blessing for a very troubled world. — © Mark Alexander

Can Pope Leo Move President Trump on the Iran War? | DW News

Apr 7, 2026 | The clash between the Vatican's moral authority and the White House's war logic: Can the Pope move the president?

Pope Leo Calls for Peace and Condemns Violence on Easter

April 6, 2026 | During his first Easter address, Pope Leo XIV called for peace and condemned violence. The pope has been increasingly outspoken since the war in Iran began. By Cynthia Silva
Watch this NYT video to hear the Pope’s Easter message.

Pope Leo Emerges as Pointed Trump Critic

Apr 2, 2026 | In recent weeks, US-born Pope Leo has emerged as a sharp critic of the Iran war. He named Trump, for the first time publicly, in a direct appeal urging the president to end the expanding conflict.