Fact Check: Did Pope Leo XIV give 'fiery sermon' after Trump called him 'insult to Jesus'?
WASHINGTON, DC: In early 2026, a rumor circulated online claiming that President Donald Trump called Pope Leo XIV an "insult to Jesus".
The rumor added that following this, Pope Leo XIV gave a "fiery sermon" after Donald Trump's insult. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.
Claim: Pope Leo XIV gave 'fiery sermon' after Trump called him 'insult to Jesus'
Social media posts, mostly on Facebook, shared a 'fiery sermon' that Pope Leo XIV allegedly gave in response to Trump's statement.
As per the posts, the Pope said, "The president of the United States just said that I insulted Jesus. You want to know what insults Jesus? Kicking the sick off their health care while cutting taxes for billionaires."
The Pope added, as per the post, "You know what insults Jesus? Deporting the stranger and separating babies from their mothers."
The post added that the Pope went even further, speaking of war, corruption, and hypocrisy. He said, "You know what insults Jesus? Bombing innocent school children in Iran and sending our brave men and women off to die in another forever war… Covering up the Epstein files and then refusing to prosecute a single person in them."
Fact Check: False, no evidence to back the claim
The claims made in viral Facebook posts are not true, as there is no credible evidence to prove that Pope Leo XIV gave a 'fiery sermon' after Donald Trump's insult.
The claim originated from a Facebook account called 'Pontiff Leo Era', which claims to be a 'news and media website' but is full of content generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
Furthermore, searches on search engines, such as Google, DuckDuckGo, and Bing, showed no credible sources reporting on this supposed attack from Trump and the alleged sermon from Pope Leo. If the story were true, reputable news outlets would have widely reported on it.
However, Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly called for peace in the Middle East and said God rejects the prayers of leaders who 'wage war' and whose 'hands are full of blood'.
Meanwhile, President Trump also called Democratic Texas state Rep James Talarico's beliefs, including his support of trans people, an 'insult to Jesus'.
Interestingly, many posts spreading the rumor about Pope Leo XIV and the POTUS included links in the comment sections to articles on blog sites. The comments also promised more details about Pope Leo's supposed sermon in these links.
