U.S. President Donald Trump has drawn backlash from American Catholics after launching a series of criticisms against Pope Leo, with some describing his remarks as disrespectful and offensive to the faith.
Trump’s war of words with the Chicago-born pontiff has angered members of a key voting bloc, as tensions between the two figures deepen over issues including Iran and immigration. The president recently escalated the dispute by calling the pope “weak,” marking a rare personal attack by a U.S. leader on a sitting pontiff.
Pope Leo has maintained that he has a moral obligation to speak out against war, a stance that appears to have widened the divide between both figures.
Reactions from American Catholics have been critical. Jim Supp, 88, speaking outside a church in New York City on Friday, described Trump’s comments as inappropriate. He said it was “totally ridiculous” for the president to question the theological views of an ordained priest.
Supp also condemned a now-deleted AI-generated image shared by Trump that appeared to depict the president in a Christ-like form, calling it something that should not be joked about.
Another Catholic, John O’Brian, 68, a former advertising executive, said the image amounted to “blasphemy for Christians.”
While not directly addressing the incident, Pope Leo has since warned about the dangers of artificial intelligence misuse, highlighting concerns over its potential for abuse.
