Vatican Cardinal Calls Trump's Remarks on Pope "Strange"

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin has described US President Donald Trump's remarks about Pope Leo XIV as "strange", stopping short of a harsher assessment. The exchange followed the pope's criticism of both the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran and US immigration policy.

Trump implied that the pope condoned Iran's nuclear ambitions, a charge Leo XIV strongly rejected, reiterating that the Catholic Church considers nuclear weapons immoral. The president's remarks have also drawn criticism from Christian leaders more broadly.

The dispute comes ahead of a planned meeting between the pope and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, requested by the US side. Parolin said the talks should be open and address current points of contention.

"I imagine they'll talk about everything that has happened in recent days", the cardinal said.

(reuters, max)