Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Trump refuses to apologise after clash with Pope Leo XIV over Iran war

By Aleksandar Brezar with AP, AFP

Published on 14/04/2026 - EURONEWS

Despite widespread criticism including Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni's rare rebuke after the US president lambasted the US-born pontiff for being "weak on crime," Trump said no to an apology to the Catholic Church's Holy Father while reiterating his claims.

US President Donald Trump defied calls to apologise for his attacks on Pope Leo XIV on Monday, as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned his criticism of the supreme pontiff —triggered by the pope's denunciation of the Iran war — as "unacceptable"

"The pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn all forms of war," Meloni said in a statement on Monday.

It represents a rare rebuke of Trump from Meloni, a conservative leader who has sought to serve as a bridge between the US president and European leaders.

Meloni earlier issued a statement supporting Pope Leo XIV's efforts for peace and reconciliation during a trip to Africa, which began Monday, just hours after Trump launched a scathing criticism of the first US-born pontiff.

"I thought the meaning of my statement this morning was clear, but I will restate it more explicitly. I find President Trump's words about the Holy Father unacceptable," she said.

"Pope Leo (XIV) is weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy," the US president wrote in a Truth Social post Sunday, adding, "I don't want a pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

He repeated that sentiment in comments to reporters, saying, "We don't like a pope who says it's OK to have a nuclear weapon."

His comments drew outrage from many Italian politicians, while Catholic bishops from the US and Italy were quick to defend the pontiff.

Pope Leo XIV himself told reporters on the plane to Algeria — the first stop on a four-nation tour that also takes in Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea — that he had a "moral duty" to speak out against war.

"I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration, nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for," he said.

“I will continue to speak out strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems,” the pontiff emphasised.

Despite the backlash, Trump refused to apologise to Pope Leo XIV on Monday, and he sought to explain away a now-deleted social media post depicting himself as Jesus by saying he had thought the image was of him as a doctor

Trump was asked about his comments toward the Chicago-born pontiff, as well as the post depicting himself as a saint-like healer, in a hastily called question-and-answer session with reporters at the White House.

“He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran. Pope Leo (XIV) would not be happy with the end result,” Trump said, adding, “I think he’s very weak on crime and other things, so I’m not (going to apologise)."

“He went public," the Republican president added. "I’m just responding to Pope Leo (XIV).”

'It's supposed to be me as a doctor'

Trump caused further backlash over an image posted on his Truth Social platform Sunday night, which showed Trump wearing a biblical-style robe and laying hands on a bedridden man as light emanates from his fingers — while a soldier, a nurse, a praying woman and a bearded man in a baseball cap all look on admiringly.

The sky above is filled with eagles, a US flag and vaporous images.

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“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and it had to do with the Red Cross,” Trump said. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. A lot better.”

He blamed the “fake news” for any confusion over the image, though it drew criticism from a wide range of people, including some of Trump's own evangelical supporters, who objected to the notion that Trump was likening himself to Christ.

The post was deleted from Trump's account late Monday morning. Trump did not provide details on how that happened.

Portraying oneself as Jesus Christ is generally considered blasphemous according to Catholic and broader Christian dogma, with some leeway for respectful dramatic or religious films, plays or reconstructions.

Even Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian assailed the “desecration of Jesus" while also speaking up to defend the pope.

“His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran, and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person," Pezeshkian said in a post on X.

"I wish you glory by Allah," he concluded.

In Islam, Jesus or Isa is considered a major religious figure and one of God's messengers on Earth.

Vance defends Trump

While it is not unusual for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it is rare for the pontiff to directly respond to world leaders.

Trump's stinging response is equally uncommon, as Washington's relations with the leader of the Catholic Church, which numbers some 1.4 billion faithful worldwide, have been generally cordial.

There are approximately 72 million Catholics in the United States, or about 20% of the adult population.

Trump's Vice President JD Vance is Catholic and has recently published a book on his conversion to the faith.

VANCE IS A FOLLOWER OF THE RIGHT WING CATHOLICISM OF STEVE BANNON

He is also one of the last people to see late Pope Francis in person, having met him briefly last Easter Sunday. Pope Francis died the following morning.

Vance chimed in on the Trump-Pope Leo XIV exchange overnight on Tuesday, urging the Vatican to "stick to matters of morality" amid the escalating row "and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy."

Pope Leo XIV was elected in April 2025 following the death of Pope Francis.

The conclave elected him after four ballots over two days — one of the shortest papal elections in modern history, shorter than the five ballots that elected Pope Francis in 2013.

He has outlined peace, justice and truth as the pillars of Vatican diplomacy under his papacy.

In a speech in January, the pope denounced what he called "diplomacy based on force" and in his Easter blessing he urged "those who have the power to unleash wars" to "choose peace."

According to Catholic Church records, the last time a pope explicitly called for and approved a war was Pope Urban II in 1095, when he launched the First Crusade.

Last week, Washington found itself accused of exerting pressure on the Vatican after media reports that the Holy See's envoy to the US had been invited to a private meeting that turned sour.

According to reports, US officials threatened the pontiff with an Avignon Papacy, a dark moment in Europe's history when the French crown used violence to move the seat of the Catholic Church to France to exert control and influence over its faithful.

Washington and the US and Holy See envoys have all rejected the reports as false.

Italy suspends defence pact with Israel as Meloni rebukes Trump over pope remarks

"In light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel,” Meloni said during a visit at a wine fair in Verona. / bne IntelliNewsFacebook

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By bne IntelliNews April 14, 2026

Italy has suspended the automatic renewal of its defence co-operation agreement with Israel, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on April 14, in Rome's sharpest signal yet of disapproval over Israeli military operations, while separately rebuking US President Donald Trump for his attacks on Pope Leo XIV.

Meloni made the announcement at the Vinitaly wine fair in Verona, telling reporters that "in light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel." Defence Minister Guido Crosetto had formally communicated the decision to his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, by letter.

The memorandum, originally signed under former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi in 2003 and ratified in 2005, provides a framework for bilateral co-operation on defence matters including military equipment exchanges, joint exercises, and research and development in the defence sector. It had been renewed automatically every five years, most recently entering into force on April 13.

Israel's foreign ministry played down the significance of the move. A spokesman said the two countries did not have a security agreement as such, describing the memorandum as one that had "never had any concrete content."

Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, also present at Vinitaly, said he agreed with the suspension but told reporters he did not know the reasons behind it.

The decision marks a significant hardening of Italy's stance. Until now Meloni's government had limited itself to condemning specific Israeli actions, including strikes on churches and attacks on Italian soldiers serving in the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, while defending the memorandum itself against repeated opposition calls for its suspension. The diplomatic temperature had risen further in recent days after Italy's ambassador to Tel Aviv was summoned by the Israeli foreign ministry in protest at remarks by Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, who had condemned Israeli raids that have caused thousands of casualties in Lebanon since early March.

Italy's growing discomfort with Israeli military operations has been building for months. In September, Meloni told the United Nations that Israeli actions had crossed a line, "violating humanitarian norms, causing a slaughter of civilians," and signalled Rome's support for some European Union sanctions against Israel. During the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, Italy refused to allow American combat aircraft to use its Sigonella base in Sicily for missions to the Middle East.

Meloni used the Verona platform to address several other live political controversies. On Trump's social media broadside against Pope Leo XIV — in which the US president called the pontiff "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy," suggested he had been elected only because he was American, and told him to "get his act together" and "stop catering to the Radical Left" — Meloni, long regarded as a darling of the US leader, was unequivocal. "What I said is what I think: the statements about the pontiff were unacceptable. I express my solidarity with Pope Leo," she said.

Meloni also urged caution over recent calls by Eni chief executive Claudio Descalzi to resume purchasing Russian gas, acknowledging his commercial logic but arguing that economic pressure on the Kremlin remained "the most effective weapon we have for building peace." She expressed hope that the question would be moot by January 2027, when existing energy contracts expire, if progress had been made towards ending the war in Ukraine.

She also called for continued international efforts to advance peace negotiations to stabilise the situation in Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Italy halts Israel defence agreement renewal, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says

By Gavin Blackburn

Published on 14/04/2026 - EURONEWS

Rome froze its defence deal with Israel on Tuesday after an incident in Lebanon involving a UN peacekeepers convoy and sharp criticism from Antonio Tajani over attacks on Lebanese civilians in Israel's ongoing war against Hezbollah.

Italy has suspended the automatic renewal of its defence agreement with Israel, which involves the exchange of military equipment and technology research, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday.

"In view of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel," Meloni said on the sidelines of an event in Verona, according to Italian news agencies.

Approved by Israel in 2006, the agreement is reviewed every five years.

It calls for cooperation across defence industries, education and training of military personnel, research and development, and information technology, among others.

Tensions between the two countries have risen over the past week after the Italian government accused Israeli forces of firing warning shots at a convoy of Italian UN peacekeepers in Lebanon in its ongoing war with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.

Italy summoned Israel's ambassador in protest over the incident that damaged at least one vehicle but caused no injuries.

On Monday, Israel summoned Italy's ambassador following comments by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani that condemned "unacceptable attacks" on Lebanese civilians by Israeli forces.

Tajani, who is deputy prime minister, was in Beirut on Monday for talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi.

He later wrote on X that he was there to "convey Italy's solidarity following Israel's unacceptable attacks against the civilian population."

Israel dismissed the decision, saying Rome's move would not have any impact on its security.

"We have no security agreement with Italy. We have a memorandum of understanding from many years ago that has never contained any substantive content. This will not affect Israel's security," foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein told the AFP news agency.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump criticised Meloni, a political ally, in an interview published on Tuesday for her unwillingness to help in the Iran war.

"I'm shocked at her. I thought she had courage but I was wrong," he told Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

INTERVIEW

Israeli society has 'allowed trauma to take over' and 'cares only about revenge'

While a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran is holding, Israeli strikes on Beirut threaten to derail it and widen the current conflict. Indirect talks under Pakistani mediation begin on Friday, giving both sides 15 days to try to reach a lasting truce. Israeli writer and academic Dror Mishani tells RFI the conflict has already done serious damage at home, warning that Israeli society is being driven by trauma and a growing desire for revenge.

Issued on: 10/04/2026 - RFI

People walk past a mural of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tel Aviv, July 2025. AFP - JACK GUEZ

More than 300 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday, according to the Lebanese health ministry, in the heaviest attacks on Beirut since 1982.

The violence has drawn strong international reactions, with even the United States urging restraint. Israel has proposed opening negotiations with Lebanon, while Beirut says a ceasefire must come first.

Other issues being tackled in the talks mediated by Pakistan include Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Mishani, a novelist, screenwriter and literature professor at Tel Aviv University, argues that the trauma of the 7 October, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel has pushed the country into a moral crisis, where concerns about justice, law and culture are giving way to a desire for revenge.

RFI: The truce between the United States and Iran seems very fragile. After 39 days of war, Lebanon has suffered heavy Israeli strikes. As a left-wing, pacifist Israeli author, how would you describe life in Israel under this conflict?

Dror Mishani: Life is returning to normal in Israel. Children are supposed to go to school and parents are going back to work. But for me, this immediate return to normality is part of a new dehumanisation that is taking hold here.

We are expected to act as though, for the past month and a half, we have not been living under daily missile attacks, in constant fear for our lives, as though we are no longer in a war, as though the war is not still ours.

Personally, I feel devastated. I am glad for the Iranian people that the war is paused. I am also glad for us Israelis that we are no longer living under missiles. It was a real nightmare. But the war continues for the Lebanese people. And I fear we will be living with the consequences of this war for years to come.

Dror Mishani, an Israeli writer and literature professor at Tel Aviv University, warns that trauma is reshaping Israeli society. © Wikimedia Commons.org

RFI: You say you're glad, and yet you seem to be almost apologetic about the situation.

DM: Really, I feel as though I have lost my home. Not because it was damaged by the bombing, but because I no longer recognise the society that was once mine. It has been completely destroyed in this recent war.

So for me, it is not really a happy morning – it is a morning of a little hope, but very little.

RFI: You say Israeli society has been destroyed. In what way?

DM: Netanyahu and Trump tried to destroy Iran and Lebanon, but they also managed to destroy Israeli society. I no longer recognise the society in which I was born and grew up. It is a society that has allowed trauma to take over, that has allowed its darkest moments to reign.

We are now a society that no longer cares about morality, culture, law or justice – only about revenge. It is a society haunted by violence and destruction. Almost no one spoke out against the threats to annihilate Iranian civilisation.

RFI: So when Donald Trump made this threat, 24 hours before his ultimatum expired, are you saying this caused little reaction in Israel?

DM: Exactly. Do you understand what that means? In Israel, one week before Holocaust Remembrance Day, Israelis support the threat by a deranged dictator to erase another civilisation. For me, that is the destruction of our society.

France warns Lebanon must not be ‘scapegoat’ after Israeli strikes

RFI: Was this war against Iran justified in its objectives? It is presented as a war against a regime that seeks the destruction of Israel.

DM: There is no such thing as a just war. During the war, I read a great deal of Simone Weil, the great French Jewish philosopher who wrote very precisely about war and its futility.

This is not a just war. It is a war that tried to destroy Iran and Lebanon, but that also continued the destruction of Israeli society.

RFI: You have two children and you are a university professor. Is this conflict something you discuss at home or with your students?

DM: Yes, of course. What is very difficult in Israel now is that almost everyone supports the war. For example, a few hours after the ceasefire with Iran was announced, the headline on an Israeli news site read: “Massive attacks in Lebanon, dozens of targets hit, hundreds dead in Beirut” – as if to reassure Israelis 'do not worry, we are not stopping'.

This play of revenge that has been unfolding here for three years, day after day, is not over. Revenge is still on stage, and I think that is what most Israelis want to see.

RFI: You say most Israelis – does that mean it is difficult for voices like yours to be heard? Are you able to speak out in Israel?

DM: Yes, a little. There is the daily newspaper Haaretz where such views can be published. But I am not sure the peace camp still exists in Israel.

All the opposition leaders, people like Yair Lapid and Yair Golan, criticised Benjamin Netanyahu not for waging the war, but for not causing enough damage to Iran.

Iraq turns to Turkey for oil exports as Middle East war reshapes routes

RFI: In other words, they accused him of stopping the war before the job was finished?

DM: Yes. But I want to [make something clear]. Last Saturday, there was a demonstration against the war in central Tel Aviv. There were about 1,000 people, which is not many. But it still took courage, because of the missiles and very hostile police.

There were writers, academics and intellectuals. It was marginal, yes, but still important.

Israeli society is now focused on one thing – the total destruction of everything and everyone. It is no longer interested in justice; only revenge matters.

We must try to remind [people] that it was once different, and that another path exists.

RFI: You said a year ago that the trauma of the 7 October, 2023 attacks had turned Israel into a society "obsessed with revenge". Is that still the case?

DM: Yes. There are many reasons for what Israel has done over the past three years. It is linked to having an irresponsible prime minister, ready to sacrifice his people and his country to avoid prison.

It is also linked to the support of an American president who encourages chaos in the world. But above all, it is linked to the trauma affecting Israeli society – a trauma that is understandable.

Since 7 October, we have been caught in a spiral of violence and destruction that I do not see ending. And I have understood that this does not make us stronger – on the contrary, it weakens us.

This interview was adapted from the original version in French and has been edited for clarity.

From Marseille to Barcelona – Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail for return to Gaza

Activists from across Europe set sail in a renewed bid to deliver aid to Gaza – and bring Israel's blockade of the territory back into the global spotlight.

Issued on: 12/04/2026 - RFI

Boats of a new humanitarian flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip make a symbolic leave from Barcelona's Port Vell on 12 April 2026 as the departure of the flotilla has been postponed due to bad weather. AFP - JOSEP LAGO

Around 20 French boats sailed out of Marseille on Saturday in a show of solidarity with Gaza, joining a growing international effort to challenge Israel’s long-running blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged territory.

Cheered on by roughly a thousand supporters gathered at the docks, the mostly small sailboats departed to applause and chants of “Gaza, Marseille is with you”, setting the tone for what organisers hope will become a highly visible, multinational mission.

The vessels will link up with the so-called Global Sumud Flotilla – named after a Gazan fisherman – which is expected to bring together around 100 boats from across the Mediterranean in the coming days.

A larger contingent of about 30 boats was due to leave Barcelona on Sunday – carrying medical supplies and other essential aid – but has reportedly been delayed due to bad weather. Additional vessels are expected to join en route, with the flotilla planning to head towards Gaza around 20 April after a week-long stopover in southern Italy for non-violence training.

For participants, the mission is as much about raising awareness as it is about delivering aid.

“The goal is to give Palestine more visibility. We’re not talking about it much right now, because of the international context,” said Manon, a crew member on one of the Marseille boats who declined to give her full name.

Renewed push after past setbacks

This is not the first attempt by activists to reach Gaza by sea. A similar flotilla in late 2025, involving around 50 boats and high-profile figures including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, was intercepted by the Israeli navy before it could reach its destination.

Participants in that mission were detained and later expelled by Israel. Activists and organisations such as Amnesty International criticised the operation as illegal, while Israeli authorities defended their actions.

Accounts from some of those detained have added to the controversy. Swiss and Spanish participants said they were subjected to inhumane conditions during their detention – claims that were firmly rejected by an Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson.

Despite those setbacks, organisers appear undeterred. The scale of this latest flotilla – and the fact that boats are joining from multiple countries – suggests a renewed determination to keep the issue in the public eye.

Humanitarian concerns

The flotilla comes against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which took effect on 10 October 2025, after two years of war. Both sides have since accused each other of violations.

Israel, which has maintained a blockade on Gaza since 2007, says it does not restrict humanitarian supplies to the territory’s more than 2 million residents. However, Palestinian officials and international aid organisations argue that the flow of goods remains insufficient, particularly in critical areas such as healthcare.

The World Health Organization has stressed that, even during conflict, international humanitarian law obliges states to ensure safe access to medical care.

Supporters of the flotilla say their mission is intended to help fill those gaps – and to pressure governments to do more.

“This is a mission that aims to open a humanitarian corridor so that aid delivery organisations can arrive,” said Saif Abukeshak, a Palestinian activist involved in organising the flotilla.

Irish actor Liam Cunningham, who has voiced support for the initiative, framed the effort as a grassroots response to political inaction.

“Every kilogramme of aid that is on these ships is a failure,” he said. “All these people giving up their time to help their fellow human beings are doing what their governments are legally obliged to do.”

(With newswires)

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment