İranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has voiced support for Pope Leo XIV following criticism from US President Donald Trump, condemning an insult to the pontiff and stressing the importance of respect for religious figures.
“His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran, and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person. I wish you glory by Allah,” Pezeshkian wrote on X, Caliber.Az reports.
The remarks came after Trump criticised the pope in a social media post, describing him as “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy,” in comments linked to the pontiff’s recent appeals for peace and an end to war.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Trump said: “I donʼt think heʼs doing a very good job. … I am not a fan of Pope Leo.” He added: “Heʼs a very liberal person,” and accused the pope of being soft on Iran while criticising his opposition to US military actions.
In response, Pope Leo XIV said he would continue to speak out against war and emphasised the spiritual role of the Church.
“But I do believe that the message of the Gospel, ‘blessed are the peacemakers,’ is a message that the world needs to hear today.”
By Sabina Mammadli
