Pope Leo XIV delivered a scathing condemnation of world leaders who spend billions on warfare during a peace meeting in Cameroon on Thursday, escalating his public dispute with President Trump over military interventions.
Speaking at Saint Joseph's Cathedral in Bamenda, the pontiff accused global powers of exploiting religious justifications for military action while neglecting reconstruction efforts.
The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters
Pope Leo XIV — NPR
The remarks came during the fourth day of Leo's 11-day African pastoral visit, which has been overshadowed by his growing confrontation with the White House over the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran.
Trump has publicly attacked the pope as "weak on crime and soft on foreign policy," urging him to focus on religious matters rather than geopolitics. The president briefly shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as Christ before deleting it. Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, has similarly criticized Leo for political involvement.
NPR frames the story as a diplomatic clash between religious and political authority, emphasizing the pope's moral positioning against military interventions. The outlet provides balanced coverage of both Vatican criticism and White House responses, reflecting America's complex relationship with papal influence on foreign policy.