April 19, 2026 | 04:06 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Pope Leo XIV on Saturday downplayed his feud with US President Donald Trump over the Iran war, saying his remarks have been misinterpreted.
Speaking aboard his flight to Angola — the third leg of his 10-day tour of Africa — Leo said a comment he made in Cameroon earlier this week that the world was being "ravaged by a handful of tyrants" was not aimed at Trump.
“As it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate the president, which is not in my interest at all,” the pontiff told reporters.
"Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said," he added.
Leo Plays up Message of Peace
The pope said he would continue preaching the Gospel message of peace, reconciliation, and bridge-building, without shying away from speaking out against war.
Leo noted his Cameroon speech had been prepared two weeks earlier, much before Trump criticized Leo as being soft on crime and terrible on foreign policy.
The pope had originally criticized Trump's threat on April 7 that a "whole civilization will die tonight," if Iran didn't comply with orders to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Leo called Trump's threat "truly unacceptable," questioning whether international law had been broken.
On April 12, Trump said he was "not a big fan of Pope Leo," and accused him of "toying with a country [Iran] that wants a nuclear weapon".
He later doubled down on his comments to reporters with a post on Truth Social, saying: "I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon."
The president also posted, then deleted, an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure, drawing criticism, even from some religious conservatives who typically support him.
Pope Addresses Natural Resource Exploitation
During his visit to Angola, Leo traveled in his popemobile to meet President Joao Lourenco, with hundreds of cheering and waving people lining the route in the capital, Luanda.
In a speech in front of political leaders, the pope spoke out against tyranny and "social and environmental disasters" caused by the rampant exploitation of resources.
"How much suffering, how many deaths, how many social and environmental disasters are caused by this logic of exploitation?" he asked.
Leo then criticized the fact that Africa is still viewed as a region "to take" something from. "It is necessary to break this cycle of interests."
He also called on African nations to overcome "dynamics of conflict and enmity that tear apart the social and political fabric of many countries, fostering poverty and exclusion."
Much of Angola's 36.6 million population still lives in extreme poverty, with more than 30% living on less than $2.15 (€1.83) per day, according to the World Bank. About half of the country identifies as Catholic.
The country is still dealing with the aftermath of nearly three decades of civil war following independence in 1975. The conflict left hundreds of thousands dead and much of the infrastructure in ruins.
Angola has, however, become one of the leading oil-producing nations in sub-Saharan Africa, with the sector accounting for some 95% of its exports.
Leo's tour of Africa began in Algeria on Monday, before moving on to Cameroon. After Angola, the pope will head to Equatorial Guinea.
This tour is one of the most ambitious ever arranged for a pontiff, with stops in 11 cities and towns in four countries, covering nearly 18,000 kilometers (11,185 miles) over 18 flights.
Read: Trump Says He Has Right to Disagree with Pope Leo on Iran
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