Pope Leo gives 'unsettling' five-word statement when asked to send message to the United States

Pope Leo XIV gave a short and blunt answer when asked if he had a message for America.

Speaking at a news conference on Monday (May 12), newly elected Pope Leo chatted to the media and appeared to throw shade at President Donald Trump.

"The way we communicate is of fundamental importance," he said of the Church's relationship with the media. "We must say 'no' to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war."

Pope Leo continued: "Let us disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism, and even hatred; let us free it from aggression.

"We do not need loud, forceful communication, but rather communication that is capable of listening and of gathering the voices of the weak who have no voice."

In light of his sentiments, many suggested that the 'loud, forceful communication' part of his address may have been aimed at Trump, who is known for his ramblings on social media.

In one of his recent posts to Truth Social, the president alluded to the idea that his own presidential campaign had helped Pope Leo be elected as pontiff.

Following the news conference, Pope Leo, the world's first American pope, was asked if he had a message he wanted to give to the US.

"Many," he replied. "God bless you all."

People have since reacted to the pope's five-word statement online, as one person described his words as 'menacing', writing: "This is the most menacing thing I've seen a Pope say in my entire life."

"You know it’s serious when even the Pope sounds like he’s got receipts and plans," said another, while a third wrote: "This wasn’t a message this was a warning disguised as a blessing and I’m shook."

"I’ve never heard two syllables sound more powerful and unsettling at the same time," added someone else.

Some experts have forecast that the new pope will challenge Trump and his views.

UK theologian Professor Anna Rowlands said she thinks the pontiff will be able to avoid confrontation while also challenging them.

Speaking from Rome, she told the PA news agency: "I think he might have this way of being quite a disarming presence. He’s gentle, he’s thoughtful. He’s almost all the opposite characteristics to Trump.

"So if you think about somebody quiet and not boisterous, someone who thinks before they speak, someone who is centred.

There’s a kind of serenity about him. And he’s very unassuming. He’s almost exactly the opposite human characteristics to Donald Trump, and that could work in an interesting way."

"He’s unlikely to be confrontational, I think, because of his nature, and yet I think the content of what he says will be quite challenging," Prof Rowlands went on to say of the pope's eventual meeting with Trump.

"I think he won’t want to simply judge Donald Trump. I think he will genuinely want to engage in a fruitful dialogue towards genuine human good, a just peace, security in the world, a genuine orientation towards real values – those are the kind of things he will want to enter into dialogue with the US administration on."