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Pope Leo connected Thursday (May 14, 2026) decried rising European subject spending, which grew past twelvemonth by the highest amount since the extremity of the Cold War amid unit from U.S. President Donald Trump, saying it was a betrayal of diplomacy.
Pope Leo, who has drawn Mr. Trump’s ire successful caller weeks aft criticizing the Iran war, told university students successful Rome that they should not notation to such rearmament arsenic defence spending, adding that the world was being “maimed by wars”.
“Let america not telephone ‘defence’ a rearmament that increases tensions and insecurity, impoverishes investments successful acquisition and health, betrays spot in diplomacy, and enriches elites who attraction thing for the communal good,” said the pontiff.
Military spending crossed the continent roseate 14% successful 2025 to $864 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and rearmament by European North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly chastised European allies to walk much connected arms, and signed an enforcement bid successful February that would re-prioritize the lawsuit database for U.S. weapons successful favour of countries with higher defence spending.
At Mr. Trump’s urging, NATO successful 2025 supported a caller defence spending people of 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for its members.
Pope Leo has been speaking retired against the absorption of satellite enactment successful caller weeks. On Thursday (May 14, 2026), helium was addressing students astatine Rome’s Sapienza University, the largest instauration of higher learning successful Europe.
The Pope besides warned astir the usage of artificial quality (AI) successful warfare, citing conflicts successful Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and Iran as showing “the inhumane improvement of the narration betwixt warfare and new technologies successful a spiral of annihilation”.
Pope Leo urged the immoderate 1,10,000 students astatine the assemblage not to “close themselves wrong ideologies and nationalist borders”.
“Together with maine and with galore brothers and sisters, beryllium artisans of existent peace,” the Pope pleaded.
