President shares religious-themed image following direct attacks on the pope’s leadership and policy positions.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump posted an image late Sunday portraying himself in a scene resembling a biblical healing, shortly after issuing pointed criticism of Pope Leo XIV over his leadership and public statements.
The image, which was uploaded to Trump’s account without any caption, depicts the president wearing a robe and placing his hand on the head of a bedridden individual. It was not immediately determined whether the image was created using artificial intelligence.
The post followed a series of remarks from Trump targeting the pope’s positions on crime and international affairs. In a statement released Sunday night, Trump wrote, “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. He talks about ‘fear’ of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart.”
Trump also stated that he did not “want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States,” adding that the pontiff should be “thankful” for his position. He further criticized the pope for meeting with David Axelrod, a former advisor to Barack Obama.
Pope Leo responded to the situation early Monday while traveling, stating he did not view the exchange as a conflict. “I will not enter into debate. The things that I say are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone. The message of the Gospel is very clear: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’” he told reporters aboard a flight to Algeria. “I will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel and inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges of peace and reconciliation, and looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible.”
The exchange comes amid heightened attention on interactions between the U.S. administration and the Catholic Church. The Vatican issued a rare public statement on Friday addressing reports of a contentious meeting between representatives of the Trump administration and a Catholic official. While both parties confirmed the meeting occurred, they described it as “substantive, respectful, and professional,” countering earlier suggestions of hostility.
No further clarification has been provided regarding the origin or intent of the image shared by Trump.