Pope Leo XIV, a studious and soft-spoken cleric, and Donald Trump, an unapologetically bellicose politician, have long been on a rhetorical collision course. Now their disagreement over the war in Iran has escalated in unusual fashion. On social media, Trump said Leo was "Weak" and captive to the "Radical Left," even suggesting that Leo somehow owed his position to Trump. The pope has declared Trump's threats toward Iran "truly unacceptable" and pointed his flock to biblical text and church doctrine on war and peace. It's a spectacle involving the world's two biggest megaphones.

President Donald Trump is refusing to apologize to Pope Leo XIV after criticizing the pontiff's opposition to the war in Iran. Trump told reporters Monday that he wasn't sorry for responding to Leo's public comments. Trump lashed out at the pope on Sunday night in both a social media post and to reporters after disembarking Air Force One. Leo responded by saying that the Vatican's appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel and that he doesn't fear the Trump administration. On Monday, Trump also sought to explain away a now-deleted social media post depicting himself as Jesus by saying he thought it showed him as a doctor.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has hosted a monthly Christian prayer and worship service at the Pentagon, the first since the Iran war began. He quoted warlike Scripture and prayed in Jesus' name. He read a prayer he said was shared with troops who captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. It asked for "overwhelming violence" against enemies. Government leaders often use broad religious language, but critics say Hegseth's specific evangelical framing feels new for his role. On Monday, Americans United for Separation of Church and State sued to obtain records about the Pentagon Christian services. Hegseth also announced chaplain reforms and cuts to the military's recognized religious affiliations.