House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Wednesday he was "taken aback" by recent comments from Pope Leo XIV on the war with Iran as tensions between the pontiff and President Donald Trump continued, The Hill reported.
At a press conference on the steps of the Capitol, Johnson said religious leaders are free to express their views but should expect political reactions when weighing in on global conflicts.
"A pontiff or any religious leader can say anything they want, but obviously, if you wade into political waters, I think you should expect some political response," Johnson said. "I was taken a little bit aback, just honestly, frankly, by something that he said several days back."
Johnson appeared to be referring to remarks made by the Pope in a Palm Sunday homily late last month, with the pontiff emphasizing a rejection of war.
"Jesus is the King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war," Pope Leo said at the time. "He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them."
The House speaker pushed back on that view, pointing to the long-standing "Just War" doctrine in Christian theology, which outlines conditions under which military action may be considered morally justified.
"I don't want to engage in a theological debate with the Pope," Johnson said. "I certainly respect the Pope. I would just want to say that these are matters that people of good faith and good sense can debate."
The exchange comes amid a broader public dispute between Trump and the Pope over the conflict.
Trump on Sunday criticized the Catholic leader, accusing him of being "weak on crime" and "terrible for foreign policy" after the pontiff condemned what he described as the "delusion of omnipotence" prolonging the war, The Hill reported.
"Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!" the Pope said in remarks over the weekend.
Johnson also addressed a separate issue involving Trump's use of artificial intelligence-generated imagery depicting himself in religious terms.
The speaker said he spoke directly with the president after an earlier image portraying Trump as Jesus drew backlash from Christian groups across the political spectrum.
"I talked to the president about it as soon as I saw it and told him I don't think it was being received in the same way he intended it," Johnson said. "He agreed and he pulled it down. That was the right thing to do."
Trump later said he believed the image depicted him as a doctor, not a religious figure.
On Wednesday, however, the president shared another AI-generated image on social media showing himself being embraced by Jesus, writing that critics "might not like this, but I think it is quite nice."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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