Following days of international speculation and intense political debate, Pope Leo XIV clarified the ‘tyrants’ comment he made in Cameroon.
This is as Pope Leo clarified that the ‘tyrants’ comment wasn’t aimed at United States President Donald Trump.
During his ongoing apostolic journey to Africa, the pontiff addressed the firestorm, stating, “I wasn’t referring to Trump,” when asked about his use of the term “tyrants” in a previous address concerning global conflicts.
The clarification came as the Pope spoke with reporters during his flight from Cameroon to Angola on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
The controversy originated from earlier comments where the pontiff denounced modern political figures who utilize aggressive rhetoric, leading many to speculate that Pope Leo XIV’s political clarification was aimed directly at the U.S. President.
Leo had blasted “tyrants” ransacking the world on Thursday while on a high-security visit to Cameroon’s northwestern city of Bamenda, the epicentre of a nearly decade-long English-speaking separatist insurgency that has killed thousands.
Pope also criticised leaders who “turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found”.
“The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild,” he said on Thursday.
However, on Saturday, the pontiff emphasized that his mission remains anchored in the Gospel message of peace, rather than engaging in partisan electoral politics. He indicated that it is “not in my interest at all” to engage in a back-and-forth debate with the White House.
The remarks had been written well before Trump’s “comment on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting,” he said.
“And yet it was perceived as if I were trying to start a new debate with the president, which doesn’t interest me at all,” Leo said.
“Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said,” he said.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that this comes after Trump had said on April 12 he was “not a big fan of Pope Leo”, and accused him of “toying with a country (Iran) that wants a nuclear weapon”.
He later doubled down on his comments to reporters with a post on Truth Social, saying: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
“Pope Leo is weak on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the U.S leader said.
