Revision History

President Trump publicly attacked Pope Leo XIV — the first American-born pope — calling him "weak" and "terrible for foreign policy" after the pontiff spent weeks condemning the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran as morally unacceptable. The confrontation, which includes an alleged Pentagon meeting where U.S. officials reportedly invoked the Avignon Papacy as an implicit threat to the Vatican, has strained diplomatic relations and is eroding Trump's support among Catholic voters ahead of the 2026 midterms.