Iran Defends Pope Leo, Condemns Trump's Blasphemy Against Jesus
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TEHERAN – Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued a defence of Pope Leo XIV, who is facing attacks from US President Donald Trump for criticising his country’s military actions. They also condemned Trump’s act of portraying himself as Jesus Christ in a social media image post.
Pezeshkian stated that he condemns Trump’s “insult” in a message addressed to Leo on social media. “On behalf of the great nation of Iran, I condemn the insult to His Holiness and declare that the desecration of Jesus (peace be upon him), the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is unacceptable to any free person,” he wrote on Tuesday.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also praised Pope Leo XIV for his “fearless stance”, following the public dispute between the Pope and Donald Trump. In a speech reported by IRIB broadcaster, Ghalibaf commended the Pope for condemning the “war crimes” committed by the United States and Israel.
“The Pope’s message that ‘he is not afraid of Trump’ resonates and ‘illuminates the path for all who refuse to remain silent and ignore the murder of innocent people’.”
“Your leadership is an inspiration to millions – thank you for this light!”
Pope Leo stated yesterday that he is not afraid of the US President Donald Trump’s administration and will continue to speak out against war. He said this after Donald Trump issued a rebuke against him, stating that he does not consider the Chicago-born Pope to be “doing his job well”.
In his statement, which drew widespread criticism, the US President used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticise Leo as he flew from Florida to Washington on Sunday night, then continued his comments to reporters on the tarmac. “I am not a fan of Pope Leo,” he said, as reported by The Guardian.
Trump made these comments after Leo stated over the weekend that “delusions of omnipotence” had triggered the US-Israel war in Iran. While it is not unusual for Popes and Presidents to disagree, it is very rare for a Pope to criticise a US leader – and for the president to respond so harshly.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and bad on Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote in his post. “I do not want a Pope who thinks Iran should have Nuclear Weapons.” Pope Leo has never stated that Iran should have nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Iran has repeatedly stated that it is not building an atomic bomb.
He then posted an image of himself, clearly AI-generated, resembling Jesus, appearing to “heal” a man. He deleted it after receiving strong backlash from some of his supporters.