CASTEL GANDOLFO (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV responded to President Trump’s latest criticism of his “being okay with Iran having nuclear weapons” Tuesday evening by saying he does not support any country, including Iran, having a nuclear weapon.

In brief remarks outside Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo told reporters that he does not support any country having nuclear weapons and will continue advocating for peace. During a phone interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on the Salem News Network earlier in the day, Trump said the American pontiff would rather talk about how “it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon” over China’s persecution of Catholic freedom advocate Jimmy Lai.

Leo did not address Lai in his response to the president.

“The mission of the Church (is to) preach the Gospel, preach peace,” the pontiff told reporters.

“If someone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so with the truth: the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, there is no doubt about that,” he added. “I simply hope to be listened to because of the value of God’s word.”

💬 Pope Leo XIV about Trump: “If someone wants to criticize me for announcing the Gospel do so with the truth”

“The Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, so there is no doubt about that” pic.twitter.com/t52Dg2hYQA

— ROME REPORTS (@romereports) May 6, 2026

During his interview with Hewitt earlier in the day, the host asked Trump about his recent “back and forth” with Pope Leo, noting that he wished that the pontiff would talk about Lai.

The president responded by saying that the American pontiff would rather talk about how “it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon” before accusing Leo of “endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people” for denouncing the Iran war.

READ: Trump criticizes Pope Leo for denouncing Iran war but not talking about Jimmy Lai

“I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people,” he added. “But I guess if it’s up to the pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly criticized Pope Leo for his comments denouncing the war with Iran. The president began his criticism of the Holy Father with a strongly-worded message posted on his Truth Social, slamming what he described as the pope’s position on crime, foreign policy, and American leadership.

READ: Trump attacks Pope Leo XIV after meeting with Obama adviser

Trump wrote that he did not want “a pope who thinks it’s ok for Iran to have a nuclear weapon” and criticized the pontiff for meeting with Democrat strategist David Axelrod, who he said is hostile to religious freedom. He further stated that Pope Leo should “focus on being a great Pope, not a politician,” asserting that such conduct is harmful both to the pope personally and to the Catholic Church.

Leo responded by saying that he has “no fear of the Trump administration” and that he is not a “politician.” As with his latest response to Trump, the pope stressed that he will continue speaking the message of the Gospel against the war.

READ: Pope Leo responds to Trump criticism: ‘I have no fear of the Trump administration’

“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am called to do, what the Church is called to do,” the pontiff said. “We are not politicians. We are not dealing with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the Gospel: ‘blessed are the peacemakers,’ is a message the world needs to hear.”

Trump and Leo’s latest trading of remarks comes the same week Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Catholic himself, is scheduled to meet with the American pontiff at the Vatican. Rubio told reporters Tuesday that his trip was planned long before the president began his apparent rift with Leo, and noted that there are plenty of other issues he’d like to discuss with the pope.

“There’s a lot to talk about with the Vatican. … The pope just returned from a trip to Africa, where the Church is growing very vibrantly. And we have shared concerns about religious freedom in different parts of the world, we’d love to talk to them about that,” Rubio said.

After a reporter interjected to ask about Trump’s remarks about Leo being “okay with Iran having a nuclear weapon,” Rubio defended the president, saying he was just trying to say that Iran having a nuclear weapon would affect Catholics.

“What the president basically said is Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon because they would use it against places that have a lot of Christians and Catholics, and others, for that matter,” he said.