In the streets of Borgo Pio, a neighbourhood bordering the Vatican, shopkeepers and visitors are taking sides in the escalating dispute between Pope Leo and former US President Donald Trump. The row erupted after Trump launched a social media tirade against the pontiff, who had criticised US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Trump called Leo 'weak on crime' and 'terrible on foreign policy', and shared an AI-generated image of himself as Christ-like before deleting it.
Local business owners, who have long served the Vatican, expressed dismay at the deterioration in relations. Walter Colantini, an optician who has fitted glasses for popes, compared the current tension to the diplomatic strain during the 1991 Gulf War, but said nothing matched this rupture. Raniero Mancinelli, a tailor producing ecclesiastical robes, said: 'The issue with Trump is that we don't know what he is thinking or doing from one day to the next. He is saying and doing very strange things.'
Visitors to St Peter's Square voiced solidarity with Pope Leo. Andries DeWinter, a choir director from Belgium, said: 'Trump has crossed every moral border... Pope Leo speaks with truth, value and meaning – the total opposite to Trump.' Rhoda, a UK visitor, added: 'Trump is just out for himself. I think Leo is great and I just hope he keeps standing up to him.' However, two US Catholics supported Trump, with one saying: 'He is a little arrogant, but that’s just the way he is.'
Pope Leo, elected in May last year, has adopted a bolder moral tone, condemning the war in Iran and wider Middle East conflict. In response to Trump's attack, he said he did not fear the US administration and would continue to speak out against war. The clash has drawn widespread support for Leo from European politicians, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who called Trump's remarks 'unacceptable'. Trump retaliated by calling Meloni 'unacceptable' for her unwillingness to join the Iran war.
