Pope Leo XIV arrives to lead the Holy Mass at Bamenda Airport on April 16, 2026.Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images

Pope says world ‘is being ravaged by tyrants’ as row with Trump continues – POLITICO

by · POLITICO

Pope Leo XIV warned “the world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants” on Thursday, escalating his war of words with U.S. President Donald Trump.

While the American pope did not name Trump directly, he publicly condemned global leaders who use religion to justify war.

 “Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” Leo told a gathering at Saint Joseph Cathedral in Bamenda, Cameroon, on the fourth day of his pilgrimage to four African countries.