Phoenix Catholic bishop responds to Trump's criticism of Pope Leo

PHOENIX - The head of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Phoenix has responded to President Donald Trump's criticism of Pope Leo XIV.

The backstory:

Pope Leo spoke against the Iranian war on the night of April 12, saying,"I think someone has to stand up and say there's a better way to do this."

Trump fired back, criticizing the Roman Catholic pontiff via a post on Truth Social, describing Pope Leo as "weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy." He even shared a photo of himself as a Jesus-like figure. 

"I don’t want a pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon," Trump continued. "I don’t want a pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a country that was sending massive amounts of drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our country."

Trump went on to say that he liked the pope’s brother Louis better, claiming that the Port Charlotte, Florida, resident is "all MAGA." Pope Leo, whose real name is Robert Prevost, is the first American to become Pope when he was elected in 2025.

"He's a very liberal person…I'm not a fan of Pope Leo," the president said. 

Pope Leo spoke with the Associated Press while on the papal plane en route to the North African country of Algeria, where he responded to Trump's post.

"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," Leo said. "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."

The Pope said he does not look at his role as being political and doesn't want to debated the president. 

Speaking to other reporters, he added: "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.''

Local perspective:

In a statement issued on April 13, Phoenix Diocese Bishop John Dolan wrote that the Pope is "elected through the sacred process of the conclave, carried out by the College of Cardinals under the guidance of the Holy Spirit."

"It is important to say clearly: the Holy Father is not a politician, nor should he be reduced to one," read a portion of Bishop Dolan's statement. "His role is to shepherd souls, to call us to holiness, and to point us toward Christ, the Prince of peace. When he speaks about peace, justice, or the moral dimensions of global affairs, he does so not as a partisan voice, but as a pastor of the universal Church."

Bishop Dolan also wrote that "The Church does not exist to advance political agendas, but to proclaim the Gospel, to form consciences, and to remind the world of the dignity of every human person."

"As Catholics, and as people of goodwill, let us remain rooted in Christ, respectful in our dialogue, and steadfast in our mission to be instruments of His peace in the world," Bishop Dolan wrote.

Dig deeper:

Local parishioner Tommy Espinoza, who’s spent time with multiple popes, said his faith is everything—and he’s glad the pope is speaking up.

"Pope Leo is doing what he should be doing. He is speaking out that, you know, peace is a key element of our Christian faith," Espinoza, a parishioner at St. Catherine of Siena Church said. "His role, his job is to speak out on worldly issues that impact the humanity and the dignity of individuals."

Catholics in the Valley reacted to the back and forth between the leader of the U.S., and the leader of the Catholic religion.

"Hopefully they'll get along. And I'm praying for all of our leaders," Conswailla McFarlin said. While Joanne added, "As Catholics, I really think we need to get back to our roots."

McFarlin said she just talked about the conflict with her bible study, which convinced her to include the president in her prayers.

"I was like, 'No, I'm not going to pray for this guy.' But now we need to pray for everyone. So even him, he deserves prayer.," she said. "So praying for both of them to get along and make great decisions for us."

Big picture view:

Espinoza had a specific recommendation for the White House. 

"I would recommend to the President of the United States to go to the Bible and read Corinthians 13, which speaks about love," Espinoza said. "By the grace of God we get away from destruction and try to get back to some kind of civil negotiations that will bring us together."

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