LUANDA, Angola — Pope Leo XIV on Saturday sought to ease tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying some comments he recently made had been prepared weeks ago and it is not in his interest to debate Trump.
He said “there’s been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of these aspects.”
Chicago-born Leo noted that a prayer meeting he gave for peace a few days ago was prepared two weeks in advance — “well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting.”
Still, he said, the comments were looked upon as if the pontiff “was trying to debate against the president, which is not in my interest at all.”
Pontiff says Trump row remarks misinterpreted
Trump and Leo recently engaged in a fierce war of words, making headlines worldwide. After a series of peace appeals from the Vatican, the U.S. president accused the pope of a “terrible” foreign policy.
Shortly afterwards, he posted an image created by artificial intelligence of himself depicted as Jesus. Trump later said the image was of himself as a doctor.
Leo then responded saying: “I am not afraid of the Trump administration.” Later, without naming individual politicians, he said “the world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants.”
On Saturday, the head of the Catholic Church told journalists traveling with him to Angola’s capital Luanda, that much of what had since been written about the exchange “has been more commentary and commentary trying to interpret what has been said.”
The pope added that his aim remains to spread a message of peace and justice in the world.
There was initially no comment from Trump on the pope’s latest remarks.
Pope condemns exploitation of African continent
After landing in Luanda, Leo condemned what he described as the continued exploitation of the Africa continent by foreign powers and multinational corporations.
He criticized a supposedly unavoidable “model of development that discriminates and excludes, while still presuming to impose itself as the only viable option.”
He continued, asking “how much suffering, how many deaths, how many social and environmental disasters are brought about by this logic” of exploitation?
The pope made his remarks during a meeting with President João Lourenço. The former Portuguese colony is rich in raw materials. Yet many of its approximately 37 million inhabitants still live in poverty.
Angola still grapples with legacy of civil war
The country is also still dealing with the aftermath of nearly three decades of civil war following independence in 1975. The conflict left hundreds of thousands dead and much of the infrastructure in ruins.
Today, more than 90% of the population are Christians, about half of them Catholics, making the pope’s visit a major national event.
Leo also criticized the fact that Africa is still viewed as a country “to take” something from. “It is necessary to break this cycle of interests,” he stated.
At the same time, he said African countries must also address internal challenges: “Africa urgently needs to overcome situations and dynamics of conflict and enmity that tear apart the social and political fabric of many countries, fostering poverty and exclusion.”
On to Equatorial Guinea after Angola
The trip is the longest of Leo’s papacy, which began less than a year ago. Before arriving in Angola, he visited Algeria and Cameroon.
Following his three-day stay, he is due to travel on to Equatorial Guinea.
Africa, with an especially young population, is one of the fastest-growing regions for the Catholic Church, now home to around 290 million Catholics — more than in Europe.
