After Trump’s latest broadside, Pope says ‘world needs to hear’ message of peace

By Christopher Lamb, CNN

(CNN) — Pope Leo said Wednesday that his visit to Africa offers a message of unity and peace “the world needs to hear” as he continues to face criticisms for his stance on the war in Iran from the president and the vice president of the United States.

Speaking on board the papal plane from Algeria to Cameroon, Leo XIV pointed to his visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers, the largest in Africa, and to the birthplace of Saint Augustine of Hippo, a hugely influential Christian figure who inspired him to become a priest.

The pontiff said going to the mosque showed that while “we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshipping, we have different ways of living, we can live together in peace.”

He added: “I think that to promote that kind of image is something which the world needs to hear today.”

Leo’s trip to Africa, beginning with a Muslim-majority country, came after he has been increasingly critical of the US military operation in Iran. It has underlined the pope’s stance as a counterweight to the Trump administration.

The pontiff’s willingness to call out the US president on the world stage marks a significant escalation in tensions between Washington and the Vatican. Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, have engaged in a series of sharp statements throughout the week aimed at the head of the Catholic Church, while the pontiff – who declared earlier this week he had “no fear of the Trump administration” – shows no sign of backing down.

The pope departed for Africa just hours after Trump had launched an extraordinary broadside against the pontiff and his stance on the war, with the president subsequently posting an image of himself seemingly as a Jesus-like figure. The image was later deleted.

Vance, a Catholic, weighed in at a Turning Point USA event on Tuesday, saying the pope should be “careful” when talking about theology and questioning the pontiff’s understanding of Just War theory, the criteria for a morally justifiable conflict developed over centuries by Catholic thinkers.

A key architect of Just War teaching is Saint Augustine of Hippo, whom Leo honored while in Algeria. Augustine – a bishop in the late fourth and early fifth centuries – is the spiritual father of the Augustinian order of which the pontiff is a member and former leader.

Leo stressed that Augustine is still “an important figure” through his writings, teachings and spirituality.

“His invitation to search for God and for truth is something that is very much needed today,” Leo, speaking in English, said on board the plane from Algiers to Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. He pointed out that Augustine’s memory is honored in Algeria, despite the Muslim-majority make-up of the population.

Saint Augustine, the pope said, offers “the church and the world” a vision that includes the “struggle to build community, to seek for unity among all peoples, and respect for all peoples, in spite of the differences.”

Trump showed no signs of wanting to back away from his feud Tuesday night, saying it was “unacceptable” for Tehran to have a nuclear bomb.

“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,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Leo, who is the first pontiff to visit Algeria, expressed his gratitude to the Algerian authorities for making the trip possible. He also paid tribute to the small but significant presence of the Catholic Church in Algeria.

While in Cameroon, he is set to address the conflict in the country between the Francophone government and English-speaking separatists, and will take part in a peace meeting.

English-speaking separatists in Cameroon announced a three-day pause in fighting to enable the pope to have “safe travel” and deliver his message of peace, according to AP.

The pope’s Africa trip also includes visits to Angola and Equatorial Guinea and concludes on April 23.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.