Pope Leo XIV says ‘not in my interest at all’ to debate Trump but will keep preaching peace

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Leo

Liu spoke to reporters on board the papal plane heading from Cameroon to Angola as part of his 11-day African tour.

He addressed the escalating back-and-forth saga of Trump’s criticism of his peace message, which has dominated headlines this week. But the US pope also sought to set the record straight, insisting that his sermons are not directed at Trump, but reflect the broader evangelical message of peace.

“There was a particular account that was not accurate in all its aspects, but because of the political situation that arose when the President of the United States, on the first day of the trip, made some comments about me,” he said.

“Most of what has been written since then has been more commentary on comments, and trying to interpret what was said.”

Trump launched the criticism on his social media platform Truth Social on the night of April 12, when he criticized Liu’s preaching about peace as the war, which began with joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28 and was followed by Iranian retaliation, raged. Trump accused Liu of being leniency in crime and sympathizing with the left, and said that the first American pope owed his election to Trump.

Liu issued consistent calls for peace and dialogue, and denounced the use of religious justification for war. Specifically, he called Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilization “truly unacceptable.”

The Vatican stressed that when Leo preaches about peace, he refers to all the wars sweeping the planet, not just the Iranian conflict. For example, the Russian Orthodox Church justified Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine as a “holy war.”

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Liu specifically referred to his remarks he made earlier this week during a peace meeting in Bamenda, Cameroon. The city is the center of the separatist conflict that has been raging in the English-speaking western region of the country for nearly a decade.

Liu said his remarks, in which he criticized the “handful of tyrants” who were destroying the earth with war and exploitation, were written two weeks ago, long before Trump’s criticisms began.

“However, it was viewed as if I was trying to debate the president again, which is not in my interest at all,” he said.

However, looking to the future, he said he will continue to preach the gospel.

“I came to Africa primarily as a priest, as head of the Catholic Church, to be with all Catholics throughout Africa, to celebrate with them, to encourage them and to accompany them,” he said.

He drew attention to some upcoming liturgical readings about what it means to be a Christian and to follow Christ, promoting brotherhood and sisterhood, “but also looking for ways to promote justice in our world, promote peace in our world,” he said.