United States’ President Donald Trump has slammed Pope Leo XIV over his criticism of U.S. attacks on Iran and Venezuela, describing the pontiff as “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy.”

Mr Trump delivered his criticism of the head of the Catholic Church in a Sunday night post on Truth Social.

“Pope Leo is weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy. He talks about ‘fear’ of the Trump administration, but doesn’t mention the fear that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian organisations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding church services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart. I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t.”

Mr Trump added, “I don’t want a pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. I don’t want a pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a country that was sending massive amounts of drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our country. And I don’t want a pope who criticises the president of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, in a landslide, to do, setting record low numbers in crime, and creating the greatest stock market in history.

“Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise. He wasn’t on any list to be pope and was only put there by the church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”

Mr Trump insisted that Pope Leo was weak on crime and nuclear weapons and that “does not sit well with me, nor does the fact that he meets with Obama sympathisers like David Axelrod, a loser from the left, who is one of those who wanted churchgoers and clerics to be arrested”.

“Leo should get his act together as pope, use common sense, stop catering to the radical left, and focus on being a great pope, not a politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church,” Mr Trump stated.

Mr Trump’s outburst was triggered by the pope’s criticism of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Last week, the pope rebuked Mr Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilisation, calling it “truly unacceptable“.

On Sunday, the pontiff implored leaders to end ongoing bloodshed, condemning what he described as a “delusion of omnipotence”.