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San Antonio Catholic Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller is defending Pope Leo XIV after the pontiff drew criticism from President Donald Trump for speaking out against the war in Iran.
Garcia-Siller, who leads about 1 million Catholics in South Texas, said the pope’s comments reflect "the message of the Gospel" and a call for "peace, reconciliation and diplomacy."
Garcia-Siller called the "profound disturbance of life due to this war in the Middle East indescribable," citing its "horrific impact on civilians and families, most especially innocent children."
"I pray for Pope Leo XIV as he demonstrates serenity and calmness while remaining firm in the face of the critical implications brought about by this senseless violence," Garcia-Siller said.
He added that leaders should serve the common good beyond their own borders. "People are people."
Speaking during a trip to Africa, the pope said he will continue to call for peace and dialogue, warning about the toll of the war on civilians and urging leaders to pursue diplomacy.
President Donald Trump responded Sunday night in a series of posts on Truth Social.
"I don't want a pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon," Trump wrote. "I don't want a pope who criticizes the president of the United States because I'm doing exactly what I was elected to do."
Trump also pushed back on the pope’s criticism of U.S. policy.
He later shared, and then deleted, an AI-generated image of himself portrayed as Jesus Christ.
A Vatican official also responded to Trump’s posts, saying they reflected his "impotence" in the face of criticism from the church over the Iran war.
"When political power turns against a moral voice, it is often because it cannot contain it," Father Antonio Spadaro, under-secretary of the Vatican's Dicastery of Culture and Education, wrote in a social media post. "Unable to absorb that voice, power tries to delegitimize it. Yet in doing so, it implicitly acknowledges its weight."
NPR contributed to this report.
