Pope Leo said on Wednesday that the world needs to hear a message of peace and coexistence, after US President Donald Trump attacked him for a second time this week on social media.
Speaking on his flight from Algeria to Cameroon for the second leg of a whirlwind 10-day Africa tour, the first US pontiff urged respect for all people and said his travels so far had shown the importance of pursuing dialogue between different communities.
“Although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshipping, we have different ways of living, we can live together in peace,” said the pontiff, referring to his two days in mostly Muslim Algeria, where the Catholic Church is a small minority.
“To promote that kind of image is something which the world needs to hear today.”
Trump, who attacked Leo as “terrible” on the eve of the pope’s tour, doubled down in a social media post late on Tuesday, despite widespread backlash from US Christians across the political spectrum.
Leo, who marks one year as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church in May, kept a relatively low profile for a pope in his first 10 months but in recent weeks has become an outspoken critic of the US-Israeli war with Iran.
The pope told Reuters on Monday that he planned to keep criticising the war, regardless of Trump’s comments.
US Vice President JD Vance also said on Tuesday it was important for the pope “to be careful when he talks about matters of theology” when referring to conflict.
The pope did not specifically address their comments on the flight on Wednesday.
He referenced the writings of one of his spiritual influences, St. Augustine of Hippo. He said the saint, who died in the year 430, had a vision “to seek for unity among all peoples and respect for all peoples, in spite of the differences”.
He landed on Wednesday afternoon in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, where he was scheduled to meet with President Paul Biya, at 93 the world’s oldest ruler, and address national leaders.
Leo is expected to appeal for an end to the simmering conflict in the country’s English-speaking regions and will travel to the largest Anglophone city on Thursday.
A separatist alliance said on Monday it would observe a three-day “safe travel passage” to allow civilians and visitors to move freely during the pope’s visit.
Leo, aged 70, relatively young for a pope and in good health, is undertaking one of the most complicated tours arranged for a pontiff in decades.
