Trump’s false charge against Pope Leo
By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | May 07, 2026
President Trump has now made and repeated a blatant falsehood: that Pope Leo “thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
In a May 5 appearance on the Hugh Hewitt Show, Trump said: “The Pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” Pope Leo has never said anything remotely like that. In fact he has never spoken directly to the question of whether Iran has, could have, or should have a nuclear weapon. Trump could have chosen to criticize the Pontiff’s silence on that issue, but he—characteristically—went further, inventing a papal posture that would be easier to attack.
What does the Pope think about the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran? We don’t know; he hasn’t said. Complain about that if you like. Pope Leo has made it clear that he opposes the US war against Iran, but he has not said what American action, if any, would be justified.
Pope Leo has said—as has every other Roman Pontiff of the nuclear era—that he longs for a world in which no country, including the US, has nuclear weapons. It follows, therefore, that he does not want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. So Trump’s complaint is false.
However, anyone who criticizes Trump’s overblown rhetoric is likely to incur the wrath of the President’s supporters. That’s just the way Trump talks, they will insist. He doesn’t really mean that the Pope wants a nuclear-armed Iran—just as he didn’t really mean that he would bomb Iran back to the stone age. He exaggerates.
But two sides can play that game. Trump’s fans complained when Pope Leo said that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.” Surely the Holy Father didn’t mean that God would be deaf to the prayer of an honest soldier, defending his own country in a just war. No doubt the Pope’s intent was to say that God does not honor prayers for victory if they are made by an unjust aggressor.
If we are willing to give President Trump the benefit of the doubt, and assume that his intent is more reasonable than what his actual words convey, we should extend the same courtesy to the Pontiff. Better yet, we could request that both the Pope and the President choose their words carefully.
Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is also the lead news analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.
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Posted by: phil L -
May. 11, 2026 8:59 AM ET USA
When you say that we have "utterly failed" to prevent Iran from going nuclear, do you mean that Iran has a nuclear weapon?
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Posted by: feedback -
May. 10, 2026 10:04 AM ET USA
For starters, Trump betrayed great majority of his voters by waging war with Iran.
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Posted by: chrljhnstn3058 -
May. 10, 2026 9:55 AM ET USA
Are you, too, stunned to discover that Trump should always be taken seriously but seldom literally? If the Pope insists (as he has) that the only acceptable approach to conflict is the same thing that has allowed terrorism to flourish for the last 48 years - and utterly failed to keep Iran from going nuclear, it is reasonable to infer that the Pope is okay with it. The only other rational explanation is the Pope is politically feckless. Talk until you are blown to bits is a silly position.
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Posted by: grateful1 -
May. 09, 2026 11:36 AM ET USA
"What does the Pope think about the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran? We don’t know; he hasn’t said. ***Pope Leo has made it clear that he opposes the US war against Iran, but he has not said what American action, if any, would be justified." Trump is right to take Leo's non-stance stance to task. I dislike Trump's ad hominem approach, but he's right to tag Leo with the fair import of his statements.
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Posted by: howwhite5517 -
May. 09, 2026 9:04 AM ET USA
Trump is clear, no nuclear weapon for Iran. Their conduct during the last 50 yrs support this position. The Pope on the other hand has chosen to criticize and embarrass the USA. He even refuses to attend his home country's 250 birthday. I think his words and actions are clear.
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Posted by: DrJazz -
May. 07, 2026 10:29 PM ET USA
Pope Leo should address the issue of whether Iran should be allowed to possess nuclear weapons, not merely because it might get President Trump to tone down his rhetoric, but primarily because that is the entire issue over which the US went to war.
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Posted by: philtech2465 -
May. 07, 2026 11:53 AM ET USA
Good article. Both could do better. But Donald Trump is a lot worse. With his trademark irresponsible hyperbole, which often becomes outright BS, Trump does not deserve the benefit of the doubt that the Holy father does. There is time for Pope Leo to learn to choose his words more carefully when not scripted, but he already is doing better than did his predecessor. On the other hand, Donald Trump is completely hopeless.
