Religious leaders on Monday criticized President Donald Trump’s pointed comments about Pope Leo XIV, calling them “disrespectful” and “hurtful.”
On Sunday night, Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he didn’t think the U.S.-born global leader of the Catholic Church is “doing a very good job” and that “he’s a very liberal person.”
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote. “He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
The Diocese of Saint Petersburg did not comment directly on Trump’s post. However, in an email to the Tampa Bay Times, a spokesperson said it “affirms” the response of Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, who criticized Trump’s comments earlier.
“It is disheartening to hear that the President chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father,” said Coakley in a statement. “The Pope is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls.”
The pope has been a critic of Trump’s administration. In November, he called for “deep reflection” in the United States about the treatment of migrants held in detention across the country. Zero-tolerance immigration policies enacted under Trump have led to thousands of immigrants being deported or detained.
The pope has called the U.S. military operation in Iran, and the violence unleashed in the region, “absurd and inhuman.” Earlier this year, he said he was following U.S. activity in Venezuela with “deep concern” and prayed “the good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration.” U.S. forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is behind bars in New York facing a drug trafficking case.
Trump suggested the pope should “stop catering to the Radical Left.” On Monday, he shared on his social media platform an AI-generated image depicting him as a Jesus-like figure. It was removed after a wave of criticism.
Few conservative Christian leaders and Trump allies supported his comments or openly criticized the pope in a similar tone. Across the spectrum, most religious leaders who spoke about the issue on Monday were critical of Trump.
Rev. Gabriel Salguero of Orlando, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, said religious leaders have the freedom and responsibility to speak about social and international issues “from the perspective of their beliefs” without being attacked or insulted.
“In public conversations, using hurtful or derogatory language doesn’t help, heal or bring people together,” Salguero said. “I believe you can disagree with someone without being disrespectful and without insulting others.”
Pope Leo XIV doesn’t fear the Trump administration and pointed out that the Vatican’s appeals for peace and reconciliation “are rooted in the Gospel,” he told reporters Sunday aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria.
“I will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel and inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges of peace and reconciliation, and looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible,” the pope said.
Rev. Ben Atherton-Zeman, minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of St. Petersburg, deplored the attacks against the pope. He said faith leaders around the world are sounding the alarm about Trump.
“Millions of Americans are taking to the streets, to the polls, and to their churches, demanding moral leadership, not autocracy,” Atherton-Zeman said.
About the image of Trump resembling Jesus, Salguero said no leader of any country, “whether Republican, Democrat or independent, should try to do it.
“Political leaders are not faith leaders, and they shouldn’t present themselves that way, whether in memes or images, especially not as Jesus,” said Salguero.
It is not the first time that Trump has posted controversial images of Catholic leaders. After the death of Pope Francis in April 2025, Trump posted an image depicting himself as pope.
Rev. Andy Oliver of Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg said Trump cannot post himself as the Messiah and then attack the pope for repeating one of Jesus’ clearest teachings: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
“Jesus did not bless cruelty, domination or war, he blessed peacemakers,” said Oliver. “If the good news of Jesus sounds weak to Trump, then he is telling on himself. To follow Jesus is to embrace his teachings.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
