Pope Leo XIV’s brother John Prevost is reacting to the apparent feud between the leader of the Catholic church and President Donald Trump.
“I think one thing that has to be made clear is when some newscaster announced that the Pope canceled a trip to the United States, that’s not true,” Prevost, 71, shared with NBC Chicago on Wednesday, April 22. “At no time was the Pope planning a trip to the United States this year. That may have been what started some kind of a problem.”
Earlier this month, Trump, 79, made headlines when he publicly criticized Pope Leo, 70, on the social media platform Truth Social.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump claimed on April 12. “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a country that was sending massive amounts of drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country. And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History.”
In his latest interview, Prevost addressed the disagreement between his brother and the president of the United States.
“It’s just a difference of opinion or a different stance on the way they look at things,” he explained. “My brother is speaking for peace and peace and equality for all people.”
Pope Leo previously responded to Trump’s comments on social media. When speaking to reporters on April 13, the Chicago native said, “I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do.”
Subscribe to newsletters 
As the one-year anniversary of Pope Leo’s ascension to the papacy approaches, Prevost expressed how proud he was of his brother.
He also shared a glimpse into some of the gifts his sibling receives from his home country. One item Pope Leo may have enough of is his favorite candy, Peeps.
“There is a gift room, and he moved back to the apostolic palace now, but in the apartment, he had two closets full of Peeps, so he does still get stuff,” Prevost revealed. “So people, as far as the Peeps go, he has enough. He has enough, he thinks, to last till next Easter.”
