France condemns Trump’s ‘unacceptable’ attack on Pope Leo XIV for opposing US war on Iran

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has strongly criticized US President Donald Trump’s offensive remarks against Pope Leo XIV, describing Trump’s comments as inappropriate and completely unjustified.

“I do not understand these statements and do not consider them acceptable, because the mission of the pontiff is to call for peace and brotherhood everywhere and under all circumstances,” Barrot stated in an interview on Sunday with Radio J.

The sharp exchange reflects the growing tensions between Washington and the Vatican, largely triggered by Pope Leo XIV’s repeated and firm condemnation of US aggression against Iran.

The pontiff has consistently warned that threats directed at the Iranian people are unacceptable, repeatedly calling for restraint, genuine dialogue, and an immediate halt to military escalation.

In response, Trump launched a direct and personal attack on the Pope, declaring that he “did not need a pope who challenges his policies.”

He even claimed that Pope Leo XIV would not be in the Vatican if not for Trump’s own presidency, turning a serious moral and diplomatic issue into crude personal politics.

Pope Leo XIV’s leadership represents a clear Vatican positioning to confront Washington’s aggressive policies more directly.

Vatican affairs expert Iacopo Scaramuzzi told the Financial Times: “The US is no longer the superpower that it was, it’s a declining power… If they elected an American, it was because he is the most pre-eminent person in the world who can confront Trump.”

The confrontation marks a rare and deepening rift between the United States and the Holy See, extending beyond Iran to fundamental questions of war, peace, and moral authority in global affairs.

It highlights the clash between the Vatican’s commitment to ethical leadership and the current US administration’s reckless strategic posture in an increasingly volatile international environment.

At the heart of the dispute is a deeper struggle over the role of religious and moral authority.

While some voices in the United States insist the Church should limit itself to social and family issues, Pope Leo XIV has firmly placed war, economic injustice, and global justice at the center of moral concern.

Father Antonio Spadaro, under-secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, described the pontiff’s message as offering “a counter-narrative” to aggressive nationalist trends.

“He is implicitly recalling another America,” Spadaro told the Financial Times. “It’s the America that, in its better moments, was a moral force in the world… of leadership grounded in legitimacy rather than coercion.”

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Despite the escalation, Pope Leo XIV has chosen not to engage in a direct personal dispute with Trump, while continuing to speak out forcefully against war and military aggression.

The French government’s public condemnation of Trump’s attack on the Pope further isolates the US regime internationally.

As Washington persists with its warmongering policies toward Iran, even longstanding Western allies and major moral institutions like the Vatican are increasingly distancing themselves from American belligerence and unilateralism.

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