Pope Leo moved to soften talk of a feud with US President Donald Trump on Saturday, telling reporters that media coverage of his recent remarks “has not been accurate in all its aspects.” Speaking in English aboard his flight to Angola the third stop of his sweeping 10‑day Africa tour the first US‑born pope said his comments in Cameroon about the world being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” were not directed at Trump.
US Vice President JD Vance, who had criticised the pope’s earlier remarks, welcomed the clarification, saying on social media that the situation was “much more complicated” than the media narrative suggested.
Tensions had escalated after Trump, ahead of Leo’s departure for Africa, called the pontiff “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” on Truth Social. He also posted an AI‑generated image depicting himself in a Jesus‑like pose a move that drew widespread backlash, including from religious conservatives. The post was removed the following morning. Trump’s comments came as Pope Leo intensified his criticism of the US‑Israeli war against Iran, vowing in an interview with Reuters that he would continue speaking out.
On Thursday, Leo again condemned leaders who “spend billions on wars,” saying the world was being torn apart by a small group of powerful actors, though he avoided naming Trump directly. “As it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate the president, which is not in my interest at all,” he said on Saturday.
Originally from Chicago, Pope Leo kept a relatively low profile during his first months in office. But his Africa tour has revealed a more forceful tone, with the pontiff sharply denouncing conflict, inequality and global leadership failures. His itinerary is one of the most complex ever arranged for a pope 11 cities across four countries, nearly 18,000 kilometres of travel and 18 flights in just 10 days.
As the tour continues, the Vatican appears intent on shifting focus back to Leo’s message on peace and justice, even as political tensions swirl around him.
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