Fact Check: Did Trump warn of releasing ‘Vatican Files’ to bring down the Catholic Church?

WASHINGTON, DC: Amid tense disagreements between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV regarding the conflict with Iran, a rumor has been circulating on social media platforms claiming to show a post by Trump in which he threatened to bring down the Catholic Church, citing the ‘Vatican Files.’

Let us analyze and fact-check the post.

Claim: Trump threatened to release the 'Vatican Files'

The claim spread in the form of a screenshot showing a Truth Social post in which Trump threatened to release the ‘Vatican Files,’ which could bring down the papacy, the Vatican, and the entire Catholic Church.

“As President of the United States, I have access to information that could bring down the Papacy, the Vatican, and the entire Catholic Church overnight!"

"These are called the Vatican files, which I won't release, out of respect for the BILLION catholics worldwide, but the weak Pope Leo of Vatican would do well to remember who he has to answer to, if he continues to interfere in politics on behalf of the Terrorist Regime of Iran."

"The misinformation Pope spreads regarding the special combat operation is extremely dangerous! JESUS would have wanted PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, just like I do!"

"Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and we will use our OVERWHELMING STRENGTH to make sure they never do! This the PATH TO PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter! -President DJT.”

The screenshot has been amplified by various accounts, garnering millions of views.

Fact Check: Trump did not post anything as such

However, a search of Trump’s Truth Social account for the words in the screenshot yielded no results. A look at his commentary account on X, which archives his Truth Social posts, also showed no results, indicating that the screenshot is fabricated.

Apart from this fabricated screenshot, a Google search also shows no reports of the president making any reference to Vatican files.

A fact check by Grok stated, “No, this screenshot isn't a real X post from real Donald Trump.

Trump has posted on Truth Social, criticizing Pope Leo XIV and referencing "Vatican files" amid their feud over foreign policy/Iran, but no matching post exists on his X account (confirmed via direct search of his recent activity). This appears to be a fabricated or edited image styled to look like an X tweet."

"Modern Al or edited images like this can look very convincing, but primary checks show it's not authentic.”