“Stay in your own lane” seems to be the key message that’s emerging from the tiff between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV, overseer of more than 1.4 billion Roman Catholics and the first American-born head of the Holy See.

Whether the spat over differences regarding the U.S.-Israel war in Iran that’s played out on social media and in news interviews between the two world leaders in recent days will have lasting repercussions is yet to be seen.

But how Trump has handled the growing tension has caused much online chatter and criticism.

Furor has arisen over two recent incidents. The president and the pontiff have traded barbs, with the pope denouncing at a prayer service Saturday the “delusion of omnipotence” that he said was escalating the war with Iran.

“Enough of the power, enough of war!” the pope declared, without specifically mentioning Trump or the United States but appealing for peace.

Trump fired back, saying Leo is “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy.”

On Monday, the pope told broadcast media that he’s referencing the biblical message of “blessed are the peacemakers,” which “is a message the world needs to hear, too.”

The pontiff said he will continue to speak out against war and promote dialogue and peace.

“I have no fear of the Trump administration. I do not look at my role as being political; I do not want to get into a debate with him,” Leo told numerous news outlets.

Trump also drew backlash after he released a post on Truth Social of an apparent AI-generated image that appeared to show him at an ill person’s bedside wearing a robe and having light emanating from his fingers, while others including a soldier and praying woman watched. Some critics said the image implied Trump was mimicking Jesus, the Christian savior.

Trump said during a White House event that the post was meant to portray him as “a doctor” and “had to do with the Red Cross,” since there had been Red Cross workers at the White House.

“It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. A lot better,” Trump said to media who questioned its meaning.

Others also have taken umbrage with Trump’s threat to kill the entire civilization of Iran before the two-week ceasefire began April 8.

Catholics are taught to “uphold the dignity of every person and to engage in public life with civility and respect,” and that words “must be governed by truth and charity, avoiding rash judgment and harmful speech,” said Denver Archbishop James R. Golka in a statement.

He joined other bishops in the U.S. in responding to the remarks Trump directed at the pope as “not acceptable.”

“Such language fails to reflect the respect owed to the successor of Peter and does not serve the common good,” the newly ordained archbishop of Denver and former bishop of the Colorado Springs Catholic diocese said.

“Pope Leo’s role is pastoral, not political. Even in moments of disagreement, we are called to speak with charity and to seek dialogue that builds up, rather than tears down,” Golka said.

Over the years, various U.S. presidents have held differing views on public policy from reigning Catholic popes.

But international media have reported that neither the Vatican nor religious history experts could recall any disputes comparable to the one between Trump and Leo over the pope’s condemnation of America’s role in the Iran war.

Trump seems to be carrying over his history of persistent disagreement with Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, said Jeffrey Scholes, a philosophy professor who co-directs the Center for the Study of Evangelicalism and directs the Center for Religious Diversity and Public Life at the University of Colorado’s campus in Colorado Springs.

Trump had opposing views from Francis on issues such as immigration, border security and climate change. For example, in 2016, Pope Francis called building walls “not Christian,” with Trump labeling the pope’s comments as “disgraceful.”

“The two popes differ quite a bit,” Scholes said. “Both expressed concern for the poor and marginalized, as most popes have, but Leo is much more measured and selective in his speech. And Trump views anyone in a position of authority who disagrees with him as a political enemy, when Pope Leo is simply responding to the tragic effects of war from his faith stance. Trump mistakenly politicizes a moral issue.”

One thing to take away from the back-and-forth tirade is that Trump, unlike his predecessors, “reduces religion and spirituality to political power alone,” Scholes said. Continuing to “fight the most famous spiritual leader in the world with partisan political weapons might just be the most foolhardy and costly of Trump’s career.”

Scholes thinks with broad support among American Catholics, the pope’s popularity might lessen some of the Catholic support that Trump garnered in the 2024 election.

A report released by Pew Research Center in June 2025 showed that about 22% of those who voted in the 2024 election and cast their ballot for Trump for president were Catholic.

The report also said that Trump had support from the majority of voting Catholics, with 55% casting their vote for him.

Supporters say the issue, like others, will blow over.

Information from several wire services contributed to this report.