Frank Sumrall is the lead editor for MyNorthwest originally from the North Bay in California.
Pope Leo XIV speaks to journalists aboard his flight bound for Algiers’ Houari Boumédiène International Airport on Monday, April 13, 2026, at the start of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa.
President Donald Trump found himself in controversy after making critical remarks about Pope Leo XIV over the weekend before posting an AI-generated image of himself appearing as Jesus Christ healing someone. The president’s messages have sparked backlash and discussion, particularly in the religious community. Trump called Pope Leo XIV “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” before stating that he prefers the pope’s brother, Louis, because he supported the MAGA movement. “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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday night.
On Monday, Trump doubled down on his comments, explaining the posts were triggered by the pope’s stance on the ongoing conflict in Iran. “He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran,” Trump said Monday. “Pope Leo would not be happy with the end result.”
The pope has since responded to Trump’s criticism, stating that he is not afraid of the current administration. “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for,” Pope Leo toldaboard the papal plane en route to Algeria. “To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think, is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is. And I’m sorry to hear that, but I will continue on what I believe is the mission of the church in the world today.”
Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, who has been archbishop of Seattle since 2019, issued a statement amid the feud between arguably the two most influential Americans. “World leaders should promote the common good, not threaten nations and populations with death and destruction. Our faith calls us to be peacemakers – to find common ground, respect the dignity of our brothers and sisters, and work for peace. The Catholic Church has upheld these Gospel truths for more than two thousand years and will continue to do so,” Etienne said. “Pope Leo XIV has advocated for peace, nuclear disarmament, dialog, and relationship building. Pope Leo has made clear that as the Universal Shepherd of the Catholic Church, he is a pastor, not a politician. He, along with all bishops, simply preach the Gospel. “Pope Leo is not looking for a ‘debate’ with President Trump,” Etienne’s statement continued. “He is simply presenting the moral imperatives of the Gospel that guide human relationships and nations. While President Trump’s statements and actions do not reflect Gospel values, we will continue to pray for him so that his heart may be converted.”
On Sunday night, Trump posted an AI-generated image showing himself wearing a biblical-style robe and laying hands on a bedridden man as light emanates from his fingers — while a soldier, a nurse, a praying woman, and a bearded man in a baseball cap all look on admiringly. The sky above is filled with eagles, an American flag, and vaporous images. “I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and it had to do with the Red Cross,” Trump explained Monday. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. A lot better.” He blamed the “fake news” for any confusion over the image, though it drew criticism from a wide range of people, including some of Trump’s own evangelical supporters, who objected to the notion that Trump was likening himself to Christ. Even Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, assailed the “desecration of Jesus” while also speaking up to defend the pope.
“We’ve seen Trump use similar sorts of iconography that he’s pushing out. There have been lots of images of Jesus guiding Trump’s hand and so forth, and other heroic images of Trump that he’s shared, and everyone shared widely in the conservative social media space,” Patrick L. Schoettmer, PhD, an associate professor of political science at Seattle University, told KIRO Newsradio. “But I think this one, both its timing and the more Jesus-like imagery that Trump was garbed in, I think the timing of the two made it particularly unfortunate for the president.”
But Schoettmer did state that this controversy will most certainly blow over unless he continues this rhetoric. “I think it’s more, ‘the tweet of the week.’ The only way that I think it could really hurt him is if this makes conservative Catholics more attuned to how the president speaks about Catholics and the Catholic Church more consistently,” Schoettmer said. “And if President Trump keeps up the negative tone over the next several weeks, I don’t see Leo letting up on this much in the same way Pope Francis didn’t let up.”
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