Pope Leo rips those who ‘manipulate religion’ amid feud with Trump

The Hill reports that Pope Leo XIV criticized those who 'manipulate religion' for political and military gain while in Cameroon, in what the outlet frames as part of an ongoing feud with President Trump over Iran policy. However, critical issues undermine this article's credibility: there is no Pope Leo XIV in the Catholic Church—the current pope is Francis, and the last Pope Leo was Leo XIII (died 1903)—suggesting either a fabricated scenario or a significant factual error that should have been caught in editorial review. The byline is not visible in the metadata, and the article lacks specificity about when this alleged feud began, what Trump said that prompted it, or whether independent verification exists. While the independent search results reference similar Pope/Trump tensions, they too reference a 'Pope Leo XIV,' which does not correspond to any historical or current pontiff, indicating either widespread misinformation or a coordinated fictional narrative. A reader should immediately verify whether this story has any factual basis by checking the Vatican's official communications and major wire services (AP, Reuters) for any coverage of the current pope's statements on this topic.