Pope Leo denies supporting nuclear weapons as Trump accuses him of endangering Catholics

Pope Leo rejected claims on Tuesday that he supports nuclear weapons, responding to criticism from Donald Trump over his stance on the Iran war.

Speaking to journalists after leaving a retreat in Castel Gandolfo near Rome, the pontiff said: “The mission of the church is to preach the gospel, to preach peace.”

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He also urged honesty in public debate, adding: “If anyone wants to criticise me for proclaiming the gospel, let them do so with the truth: the church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, there is no doubt about that. I simply hope to be listened to because of the value of God’s word.”

Earlier, Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt: “The pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don’t think that’s very good.”

“I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people. But I guess if it’s up to the pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

The remarks come ahead of a planned meeting between Leo and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican, aimed at easing tensions between Washington and the Catholic Church.