ABOARD PAPAL PLANE, April 13 (Reuters) - Pope Leo told Reuters on Monday that he plans to continue speaking out against war after U.S. President Donald Trump's direct attack nL1N40W00Q on the leader
Pope says he will continue to speak out against war after Trump attack
Pope Leo Responds to Criticism and Reaffirms Anti-War Stance
(Refiles to fix typographical errors in paragraphs 4 and 7)
By Joshua McElwee
Papal Comments Aboard Flight to Algiers
ABOARD PAPAL PLANE, April 13 (Reuters) - Pope Leo told Reuters on Monday that he plans to continue speaking out against war after U.S. President Donald Trump's https://www.reuters.com/world/us/donald-trump/ direct attack nL1N40W00Q on the leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church.
In comments aboard the papal flight to Algiers, where the first U.S. pope is starting a 10-day tour to four African countries, the pontiff also said the Christian message was being "abused".
Pope Leo on the Gospel and Peace
"I don't want to get into a debate with him," Leo told Reuters as he greeted journalists on the plane. "I don't think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing."
"I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems," he said, speaking in English.
Global Suffering and the Church's Message
"Too many people are suffering in the world today," said Leo. "Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say: 'There's a better way'."
"The message of the church, my message, the message of the Gospel: Blessed are the Peacemakers. I do not look at my role as being political, a politician," he said.
Recent Criticism and Political Tensions
Leo, originally from Chicago, has emerged as an outspoken critic of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in recent weeks and decried the "madness of war" nL8N40U0B8 in a peace appeal on Saturday.
Trump's Response to Pope Leo
Trump, in an apparent response to the pope's criticisms of both the conflict and the White House's hard-line immigration policies, said late on Sunday that Leo was "terrible".
"Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Reporting and Editing Credits
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Crispian Balmer)
