'Absolutely absurd': Catholics visiting the Vatican react to Trump's pope comments

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(14 Apr 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Vatican City, Vatican - 14 April 2026 1. Wide of St. Peter's Square 2. Various of postcards of Pope Leo XIV 3. Wide of U.S. tour guide 4. Wide of St. Peter's Dome 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Paul Sarauskas, tourist from Chicago: "I can't believe he said what he said. Every day we hear things that are different coming from the Trump administration. But what he's said about the Pope I think is absolutely absurd. I think it's offensive. I think it has affected a lot of Catholics back in the US. We're really upset as to what he said. I grew up as a Catholic person and I think he needs to keep his nose out of religion. He's telling the Pope what to do. He's tell the Pope how to do his job. Where the pope just wants to do good things, right? He wants to talk about peace, about helping other people, whereas the current administration is doing something completely opposite. They're just tearing people apart. They're talking about division and war and hate." 6. Various of Massimo Franco, journalist and columnist, leafing through his book "Popes, dollars and wars" 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Massimo Franco, journalist and political columnist for Corriere della Sera: "I think that Trump thinks that an American pope is somebody who tends to be subservient to the U.S. in any case. But this is not the case. A pope must be a pope. He must respond to a wider community. And if he sees that Trump's policy risks to give a distorted view of the United States, I think the Pope is helping the United States as well, not just the United States, to find the right path." 8. Various of tourists 9. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Mariella Acciaioli, French tourist and teacher of Italian: "It seems completely inappropriate to me. Things are getting too much. We need to mobilize everyone, especially our leaders, to deal with this behavior that is going beyond every limit." 10. Mid if tourists 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Joerg Soler, tourist from Switzerland: "Yes, I have heard what he said about the Pope and it's just ridiculous because if the Pope is not speaking about peace and is not taking care about every people in the world, he's not the Pope. So that's strength, that's not weakness. And in Iran it's hard to say what's happening down there. You have people which are suffering, you have a regime which is quite critical, So it's hard to say anything about that, but for sure the Pope is a stronger man than Trump." 12. Various of basilica 13. SOUNDBITE (English) Massimo Franco, journalist and political columnist for Corriere della Sera: "Well, it's the second strange image... I would say dystopic image that he delivered. The first was during the conclave. He presented himself like a pope. The second is now. But I think they are both very worrying images, because they are at the border between religion, politics, and blasphemy." 14. Various of souvenirs STORYLINE: Catholics in the Vatican City, locals and tourists alike, reacted Tuesday to an ongoing dispute between U.S. President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Catholic church. One U.S. tourist visiting the Vatican from Chicago, the pope's home city, told The Associated Press Trump's comments were "absolutely absurd." A disagreement over the war in Iran between Trump and Leo has escalated in spectacular fashion in recent days. On social media, Trump said Monday Leo was “Weak” and captive to the “Radical Left,” even suggesting that Leo somehow owed his position to Trump. "I can't believe he said what he said," Paul Sarauskas, the tourist from Chicago, said of Trump's comments. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/aee2d3051a384e9fac428a1a772b26af