Polish presidential official criticises Trump pope attacks and Jesus graphic as “insult to all Catholics”

Apr 13, 2026 | Politics

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

The national security advisor to Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who is a conservative Trump ally, has criticised the US president for his social media posts attacking Pope Leo XIV and sharing an image that appears to depict Trump as Jesus.

“President Trump’s post (and the graphic attached to it) regarding His Holiness Pope Leo XIV exceeds all norms and is an insult to the Vicar of Christ, and thus to all Catholics!” wrote Sławomir Cenkiewicz, head of Nawrocki’s National Security Bureau (BBN), on X.

In one of the posts in question, published by Trump on his Truth Social platform late on Sunday, he accused the pope of being “WEAK on crime and terrible on foreign policy”. It follows recent criticism by Pope Leo of US attacks on Iran and Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilisation.

“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela…And I don’t want a Pope who criticises the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do,” he continued.

Trump then went on to say that “Leo should be thankful” to him because the American was only chosen as pope due to Trump being US president. “Leo should get his act together as Pope,” he concluded.

Shortly afterwards, Trump then published another post that contained an image appearing to depict him as Jesus healing a sick man.

The posts, and in particular the image of Trump as Jesus, have caused anger among many Christians, including some US conservative commentators. “I cannot understand why he’d post this,” wrote Fox News host Riley Gaines. “God shall not be mocked.”

“I don’t know if the President thought he was being funny or if he is under the influence of some substance or what possible explanation he could have for this OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy. But he needs to take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God,” said the Daily Wire’s Megan Basham.

In Poland, Catholicism is the dominant faith, with over 70% of Poles identifying as Roman Catholics in the last national census. The church has played a significant role in Polish history, and continues to exert influence over politics and society today.

 

Nawrocki has enjoyed close relations with Trump since launching his successful bid for the presidency last year. He was invited to the White House to meet with the president during the campaign, while Trump’s then homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, flew to Poland to endorse Nawrocki.

After taking office in August, Nawrocki’s first foreign trip was to again meet Trump in the Oval Office. Last month, Nawrocki flew to Texas to speak at CPAC, the major annual conservative political conference in the US.

However, Cenkiewicz’s criticism of Trump is now the second in the last two weeks that one of Nawrocki’s senior advisors has voiced opposition to the actions of the US president.

Marcin Przydacz, the head of the president’s International Policy Bureau, recently said that the United States could have shown “a minimum of respect” by consulting with its allies before attacking Iran, rather than expecting support “when problems arise”.

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

 

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