Vatican City - Pope Leo XIV politely hit back at the latest round of attacks from President Donald Trump by doubling down on his message of peace and his condemnation of nuclear weapons.
The pontiffs came a day after Trump reignited his feud with the Vatican on Monday, telling Salem News Channel's Hugh Hewitt that "the pope would rather talk about the fact that it's okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon."
"I think he's endangered a lot of Catholics," Trump said. "But I guess if it's up to the pope, he thinks it's just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon."
Speaking to reporters in Italian on Tuesday, Leo calmly pushed back against the president's remarks, again calling for peace.
"I have already spoken from the first moment: 'peace be with you,'" the pontiff said in comments translated by Vatican correspondent Michael Haynes. "The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace."
"If anyone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully," he said. "The Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, so there is no doubt about that."
Over recent weeks, Leo has railed against the US and Israel's war on Iran, which has seen thousands of civilians killed. He also pushed back against Washington's reinstatement of firing squads by voicing strong opposition to the death penalty.
His comments have ignited a full-blown feud with Trump, who has repeatedly lashed out at the pontiff.
The latest flare-up also comes mere days before Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet with Leo in Rome – a visit that's been touted by Italian media as an opportunity to "thaw" relations.