But speaking on Tuesday evening as he departed the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo, Leo pushed back against the White House, saying the “mission of the Church is to proclaim the Gospel, to preach peace.”
“If someone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let him do so truthfully,” he said.
“For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt on that point,” he added.
The Pope again emphasized the importance of dialogue over further escalation in conflict.
“I always believe that it is much better to enter into dialogue, than to look for arms, and to support the arms industry, which gains billions and billions of dollars each year,” he said.
Those criticisms have drawn Trump’s ire, with the President accusing the pontiff of being “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” after Leo called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the Middle East.