Bishop Robert Barron Of MN Urges Trump To Apologize After Attacking Pope Leo XIV

WINONA, MN — A Minnesota Catholic bishop is calling for an apology from President Donald Trump after he publicly attacked Pope Leo XIV over social media Sunday night.

Trump said 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," while also suggesting the pontiff should "stop catering to the Radical Left."

Flying back to Washington from Florida, Trump used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticize Leo, then kept it up after deplaning, in comments on the tarmac to reporters.

"I’m not a fan of Pope Leo," he said.

Trump's comments came after Leo suggested over the weekend that a “delusion of omnipotence” is fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran. While it’s not unusual for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it’s exceedingly rare for the pope to directly criticize a U.S. leader — and Trump’s stinging response is equally uncommon, if not more so.

“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the president wrote in his post, adding, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon."

Adding to the controversy, Trump shared an image portraying himself as Christ, drawing criticism from both Catholics and Protestants who called the image "blasphemous."

One of the more prominent Catholic bishops in the U.S., Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, did not directly address the image but criticized Trump’s comments and called on him to apologize.

"The statements made by President Trump on Truth Social regarding the Pope were entirely inappropriate and disrespectful," Barron wrote. "They don’t contribute at all to a constructive conversation."

Barron paired his criticism with praise for the Trump administration’s record on religious liberty, calling it “a high honor” to have served on a federal religious liberty commission.

Still, Barron said an apology is warranted. "I think the President owes the Pope an apology," he wrote.

Other Catholic leaders have also weighed in. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a brief but pointed response.

“I am disheartened that the President chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father,” Coakley said. “Pope Leo 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.”

Archbiship Paul S. Coakley

Pope Leo XIV responds

Pope Leo XIV pushed back Monday, telling reporters that the Vatican’s appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel, and that he doesn’t fear the Trump administration.

“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 told The Associated Press aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria. “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.”

History’s first U.S.-born pope stressed that he was not making a direct attack against Trump or anyone else with his general appeal for peace and criticisms of the “delusion of omnipotence” that is fueling the Iran war and other conflicts around the world.

“I will not enter into debate. The things that I say are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone. The message of the Gospel is very clear: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’” Leo said.

“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.”

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.''

"Too many people are suffering today, too many innocent people have been killed, and I believe someone must stand up and say that there is a better way,'' he said.

Among the deadly strikes in the war include one on a girls’ school in Iran that killed scores of children.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.