Pope Leo Says World Being ‘Ravaged by a Handful of Tyrants'

Pope Leo XIV has said that the world is being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” amid a deepening row with President Donald Trump over the Iran war.

Speaking in Cameroon on Thursday, the Pope attacked world leaders who spend billions on wars and use religious language to justify conflict. He urged them instead to implement a “decisive change of course.”

“The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild,” the Pope said.

Earlier this month, the Pope blamed the Iran war on the “delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive.”

The remarks drew a sharp response from Trump, who accused him of being “weak” on crime and “terrible” for foreign policy.

Trump also wrote on Truth Social: “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.”

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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 8:22 AM.