Leo XIV, visiting Algeria this week. The Church traditionally avoids public political intervention. But after less than a year in office, the pope is showing growing impatience with his homeland. Credit: Guglielmo Mangiapane/ReutersPope Leo XIV has positioned himself as the most political pope in many years. The consequences are being felt in Israel and the territories as well10:00 AM • April 17 2026 IDTLast Sunday, exactly one week after Easter, the U.S. president took to social media to launch an attack on the pope. Donald Trump declared that Leo XIV was "weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy," adding that the first American-born pope would not have been elected without his help.In the NewsAfter Clash With Trump, Pope Leo Sets New Goal: To Stop Settler ViolenceTrump Dictates the Terms in Lebanon and Iran, Leaving Netanyahu Boxed InIsrael's Opposition Suffers From 'Budapest Syndrome' With Too Many MagyarsLebanon Became a Strategic Front for Iran's Proxy Policy, Israeli ExpectationsTrump Says War in Iran 'Should Be Ending Pretty Soon'Remembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIIsrael's Envoy Slams Italian Magazine Cover About West Bank SettlersDeclassified Files Expose Jewish Pre-state Militia's Contacts With the Nazis'Beautiful and Free of Jews': What Nazi Guidebook to Poland Recommended ReadersReport: Iran Has Thousands of Ballistic Missiles, U.S. Intelligence EstimatesAs Iran War Wore On, Israel Downed Fewer Missiles, Cluster Bombs Wreaked HavocIsraeli Actress Declines Independence Day Honor After Gaza Petition Controversy