JUST IN 🚨🇺🇸 🇻🇦 

Donald Trump just went after Pope Leo XIV on Truth Social, branding him “WEAK on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.” It’s one of the most intense public spats between Washington and the Vatican in years.

At the center of it all sits the ongoing U.S.-led war involving Iran. Trump has pushed for a tough approach, claiming that “a whole civilization will die tonight” unless Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz. The Pope couldn’t be further from that line—he’s condemned Trump’s talk as “truly unacceptable,” pointing to serious problems for international law and basic morality. He didn’t stop there, either. “God does not bless any conflict,” the Pope said, warning that the war is being driven by a “delusion of omnipotence.”

The situation just keeps heating up. Trump’s now accusing the Pope of “appeasing the Radical Left,” while some in the U.S. government frame this standoff in religious terms and call it a “holy war.”

Things aren’t looking any calmer behind closed doors, either. Diplomatic talks between U.S. and Vatican officials seem tense, and some reports suggest Pope Leo might even cancel plans to visit the U.S. while Trump’s in charge.

Polling shows Americans have a better opinion of Pope Leo right now than Trump, who’s still stuck with a net negative rating. The split between them seems to be growing wider by the day.