The gesture made by Pope Leo after the confrontation with Donald Trump: “Our Father's heart is not with the bad, the arrogant or the proud”

Pope Leo paid tribute to his spiritual roots on Tuesday, traveling in Algeria to the birthplace of Saint Augustine of Hippo, who inspired him to become a priest, reports Reuters. The first American pope has drawn the ire of US President Donald Trump after harshly criticizing the war in Iran.

By paying tribute to Augustine, Leon emphasized a personal connection to one of the major figures of the early Church, the one who first formulated criteria for evaluating whether or not wars are “just.”

Augustine, who died in 430, said that wars should only be fought in defense against aggression or to protect the innocent, with the aim of restoring peace, and never out of a desire for cruelty.

These criteria, with some updates, have remained part of Catholic doctrine.

They have been invoked by some critics of the Iran war to argue that the conflict, sparked by surprise US-Israeli airstrikes against Iran on February 28, is unjust.

Washington Cardinal Robert McElroy is among those critics. He declared on Sunday that the war was “morally illegitimate”, invoking Augustine's principles.

Leon, who is on an extensive 10-day tour of four African countries, told Reuters on Monday that he planned to continue his criticism of the war despite comments made by Donald Trump.

He made no statement on Tuesday as he visited the ruins of the city of Hippo, today Annaba, on Algeria's northeast coast. In a light rain, he laid a wreath of yellow and white roses and helped several Algerian Muslim scouts to plant a sapling.

At a later meeting on Tuesday at a nearby asylum run by Catholic nuns, the pope, a member of the Augustinian order, spoke again.

“The heart of God is torn by wars, violence, injustice and lies,” Leon told the residents of the Little Sisters of the Poor home. “Our Father's heart is not with the wicked, the arrogant, or the proud.”

Trump's counter to the Pope

Trump began by posting a message of abuse on the morning of the Catholic Easter to Iran: “Open the damn strait you crazy bastards or live in Hell! Glory to Allah!” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Americans to pray for “overwhelming violence” against enemies, even as Pope Leo used the Easter Mass to call on “those who have guns” to “lay them down.”

Trump then threatened that “an entire civilization will die tonight” in Iran. Pope Leo criticized the threat, saying it was “truly unacceptable”.

On Sunday, Trump directly attacked the pope, saying he was “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy.”

Trump also criticized the conclave itself, claiming that Leon was only elected because the Church “thought that would be the best way to handle” the US president.

In remarks made on board the papal plane en route to Algeria, the Sovereign Pontiff responded that the Christian message was being “abused.”

“I don't want to get into a debate with him,” Pope 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 do,” the head of the Catholic Church said.

Outside the Oval Office on Monday, Trump stepped up his criticism of Leon: “I have nothing to apologize for. He's wrong.”

Minutes later, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed in biblical garb, healing the sick — the image the public perceived to be that of Jesus.

Amid intense backlash, the president later deleted the image, saying he thought it actually depicted him “as a doctor.”

The president said only those spreading “fake news” could claim the post suggested he was comparing himself to Jesus Christ.

“I thought I was appearing as a doctor and it had something to do with the Red Cross,” said the US president, quoted by CNN.

By the time he deleted the post, Trump had been criticized by some of his most prominent Christian supporters, accusing him of committing blasphemy.

And Vice President JD Vance, the top Catholic in the federal government, said Monday in an interview with Fox News that the pope should stay out of American affairs.