In comments aboard the papal flight to Algiers, where the first U.S. pope is starting a 10-day tour to ​four African countries, the pontiff also said the Christian message ​was being “abused”.

“I don’t want to get into a debate with ⁠him,” Leo told Reuters as he greeted journalists on the plane. “I don’t ​think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused ​in the way that some people are doing.”

“I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the ​states to look for just solutions to problems,” he said, speaking ​on English.

“Too many people are suffering in the world today,” said Leo. “Too many innocent ‌people ⁠are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”

“The message of the church, my message, the message of the Gospel: Blessed are the Peacemakers. I do ​not look at ​my role as ⁠being political, a politician,” he said.

Leo, originally from Chicago, has emerged as an outspoken critic of the ​U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in recent weeks and decried ​the “madness of ⁠war” on in a peace appeal on Saturday.

Trump, in an apparent response to the pope’s criticisms of both the conflict and the White House’s ⁠hard-line ​immigration policies, said late on Sunday that ​Leo was “terrible”.

“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote in ​a post on Truth Social.

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