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Filipino Cardinal calls out Trump’s claim about Pope Leo being supportive of nuclear weapons
Speaking from Manila, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David said The Holy See (Vatican) had long advocated for disarmament, dialogue, and the primacy of international law in resolving conflicts
- PUBLISHED: Fri 17 Apr 2026, 2:25 PM
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A leader of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines called out US President Donald Trump for his verbal attacks against Pope Leo XIV. Speaking from Manila, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David spoke said Trump was wrong in accusing the Supreme Pontiff of somehow being supportive of the proliferation of nuclear weapons, particularly in relation to Iran.
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“This is plainly false…the use of nuclear weapons is immoral, and even their possession raises grave ethical concerns,” Cardinal David said in a statement.
The cardinal pointed out that The Holy See (Vatican) had long advocated for disarmament, dialogue, and the primacy of international law in resolving conflicts.
“When public discourse attributes to the Pope a position he has never taken, or when statistics are cited without clear basis, the conversation is no longer about genuine disagreement—it risks becoming a misunderstanding that deepens division rather than promotes peace,” Cardinal David underscored.
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There are approximately 90 million Catholics in Asia’s largest Christian country.
In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Trump said: “The pope made a statement. He says, ‘Iran can have a nuclear weapon. I say Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.’"
Trump’s statement was immediately corrected by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins but the US president did not take it back.
Earlier this week, Trump first took aim against Leo, calling him “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy," also later telling reporters he is "not a big fan" of the first-ever US-born Pope.
A born Presbyterian, Trump identifies himself a Christian but is very seldom known to attend religious services.
His recent AI-generated social media posts seemingly portraying himself as Jesus or himself with the Christ had offended Christians worldwide, including his predominantly conservative Christian political base in the US.