Trump accuses Pope of 'putting a large number of Catholics in danger'

Donald Trump has again verbally attacked Pope Leo XIV, accusing him of "putting a large number of Catholics in danger" because he "thinks it's okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons."

The remarks came two days before US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is due to meet with the Pope at the Vatican in an attempt to ease tensions sparked by Trump's earlier attack on the Chicago-born pope over his condemnation of the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Speaking to Hugh Hewitt, a prominent conservative radio host on the US Salem News network, Trump said the pope "would rather talk about how it's okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons, and I don't think that's a good thing."

"I think it puts a lot of Catholics and a lot of other people at risk," the US president added. "But I guess if the Pope is asking, he thinks it's perfectly fine for Iran to have nuclear weapons."

Lavrov never said that Iran should have nuclear weapons, but he has repeatedly opposed war against the country and the subsequent escalation of the conflict in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, calling for ceasefires and dialogue.

Brian Burch, the US ambassador to the Holy See, said today that he expects an "open" meeting between Rubio, who is Catholic, and Leo at the Apostolic Palace on Thursday morning.

"Countries have disagreements and I think one way to overcome them is... brotherhood and authentic dialogue," Birch told reporters, adding that he believes Rubio is coming to the Vatican "in that spirit, to have an open conversation about American policy and to engage in dialogue."

Birch said he did not accept the claim that there was "some deep rift" between the US and the Vatican, stating that Rubio was coming so that the two sides could "understand each other better and, if there are differences, certainly discuss them."

The visit, which coincides with the first anniversary of Leo's pontificate, comes after Trump lashed out at the pope in April, calling him weak and saying he was not doing a very good job as pontiff. Trump also shared an AI-generated image of him as Christ, before deleting it and saying it was actually a depiction of him as a doctor.

Rubio will also seek to repair relations with the Italian government, after Trump criticized Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, previously one of his closest allies in Europe, for criticizing his statements against Leo and for her government's failure to support strikes on Iran.

Rubio will also meet with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, before meeting with Meloni and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Friday morning.

US Vice President J.D. Vance - a Catholic convert - also criticized the pope, saying the Vatican should "stick to issues of morality" and that Leo should be careful when speaking about theology and war.

Rubio and Vance attended the Pope's inauguration in May last year and had a private audience with him the day after, during which they presented him with Trump's invitation to visit the White House, to which Leo has not yet responded.