As the spat between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV drags on, Sean Hannity has joined the fray by sharing his opinion of the pontiff. According to Hannity, the Pope may just be a “run-of-the-mill Trump-hating Democrat that lacks moral clarity.”
Moreover, while the pontiff calls for peace, Hannity, the TV host, appears to try to lecture Pope Leo on the teachings of Jesus Christ. He goes on to argue that there are hundreds of references to war in the bible, including examples of God “authorizing” war.
“Pope Leo XIV is seemingly more interested in spreading left-wing politics than the actual teachings of Jesus Christ,” Hannity said on his Fox News show. He then quotes the Pope’s comment, that “God does not bless any conflict and certainly doesn’t side with those who drop bombs.”
On that note, the TV host states, “Well, first, that is simply not biblically accurate. The Bible contains over 400 references to war, frequently depicting God as authorizing, commanding, intervening in battles, like one that we know – the battle between David and Goliath.”
“Why is the Pope twisting religion to only attack Trump? Why did he recently meet with top Obama advisor David Axelrod and J.B. Pritzker? Is it because he’s a run of the mill Trump-hating Democrat that lacks moral clarity?” Hannity added.
As noted by Media Matters, Hannity’s outburst on his show comes during a public feud that has erupted between Pope Leo XIV and Trump over the Iran war, with the Pope slamming the US and Israel’s attacks on the Middle Eastern country. This then provoked an angry reaction from Trump, who had said earlier this week that “Leo should get his act together as Pope.”
Hannity: I went to catholic school for 12 years, I attended a seminary in high school and studied theology. I left the catholic church in large part because of institutionalized corruption. Others at the Vatican have totally lost sight of the true meaning of the bible and its… pic.twitter.com/kCzIy0wqDR
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 17, 2026
Responding to the Fox News host’s comments, author Assal Rad commented on X (formerly Twitter), “’The actual teachings of Jesus Christ,’ which Hannity thinks he knows better than…The Pope?”
“The ‘actual teachings of Jesus Christ.’ Right, focus on all the schools Jesus blew up, or the mass deportations Jesus orchestrated. Or all the times Jesus was in the Epstein Files,” another X user commented.
Despite the ongoing comment by Republicans over the Pope’s opinion that war is a bad thing, Leo doubled down on his critique. During his visit to Cameroon on Thursday, Pope Leo took aim at leaders who spend billions of dollars on wars. He said the world is “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants.”
FOX News host Sean Hannity and US Senator Lindsey Graham openly broadcast the Trump administration’s extortion plot. They threaten to completely destroy Iran’s economy and seize control of the Strait of Hormuz if Tehran refuses to surrender its sovereignty. Pure imperialism. pic.twitter.com/zl7PS5CPkH
— Furkan Gözükara (@FurkanGozukara) April 17, 2026
The pontiff claimed that those tyrants have manipulated “the very name of God” for their own gain. He concluded by saying, “Peace is not something we must invent. It is something we must embrace by accepting our neighbor as a brother and as our sister.”
Also on Thursday, Trump spoke to reporters, claiming that the Pope should understand that Iran is a “threat to the world.” He also added, “The Pope can say what he wants – and I want him to say what he wants, but I can disagree.”
