Originally published at The Crux
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ON BOARD THE PAPAL PLANE – On his flight from Yaoundé to the Angolan capital of Luanda, Pope Leo XIV hit back against the media narrative that his speeches in Africa on peace are a response to recent attacks from United States President Donald Trump.
Speaking to the roughly 65 journalists on board his April 18 flight from Cameroon to Angola as part of his 11-day odyssey to Africa, the pope lamented that “there’s been a certain narrative that has not been accurate” about the trip.
This false narrative, he said, came about “because of the political situation created when on the first day of the trip the President of the United States made some comments about myself.”
The reference is to a social media post by Trump Sunday night, the eve of Leo’s departure for Africa, criticizing the pope, saying among other things that he is “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” due to the pontiff’s criticisms of the war in Iran and other recent U.S. policy moves.
Asked by reporters about the outburst, Leo responded mid-flight, saying he has “nothing to fear” from the Trump administration and intends to continue proclaiming the message of peace
