Did Pope Leo XIV say people should be 'less fearful of Islam'? Here's the full story

In April 2026, after U.S. President Donald Trump made a Truth Social post criticizing Pope Leo XIV over comments condemning the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, many online shared a purported quote by the pope. Per numerous posts on Facebook and X, the Pope allegedly said, "We should perhaps be a little less fearful of Islam."

Many of the internet users who shared the quote appeared to do so in support of Trump, sometimes alongside alongside images purportedly showing Islamic State militants beheading Christians. 

(Facebook user "David J Harris Jr.")

Searches of the quote on Google (archived), Bing (archived) and DuckDuckGo (archived) found no evidence that the pope said the exact words above, but did show that in December 2025 he made a similar statement about how people should be "less fearful" while responding to a question about Catholics who believe Islam is a threat. Earlier in his statement, he said such "fears" are "generated by people who are against immigration and trying to keep out people who may be from another country, another religion, another race." As such, we rate this claim mostly true.

The pope made the statement on Dec. 2, 2025, during a press conference on a flight. His comments, along with the question that prompted them, can be heard starting at the 17:02 mark of the following video published to YouTube by Vatican News, the official news portal for the Holy See.

We have reproduced the pope's exact comments below (emphasis ours):

REPORTER: You just talked about continuing to build bridges between different worlds. I'd like to ask some Catholics in Europe believe that Islam is a threat to [Christianity] of the West. Are they right and what will you say to them?

LEO: All of the conversations that I had during my time both in Turkey and in Lebanon, including with many Muslims, were precisely concentrated on the topic of peace and respect for people of different religions. I know that, as a matter of fact, that has not always been the case. I know that in Europe there are, many times, fears that are present, but oftentimes generated by people who are against immigration and trying to keep out people who may be from another country, another religion, another race. And in that sense, I would say we all need to work together. One of the values of this trip is precisely to raise the world's attention to the possibility that dialogue and friendship between Muslims and Christians is possible. I think that one of the great lessons that Lebanon can teach to the world is precisely showing a land where Islam, Christianity are both present and are respected, and that there is a possibility to live together, to be friends. Stories, testimony, witnesses that we heard even in the past two days of people helping each other, Christians with Muslims, both of whom had their villages destroyed for example, of saying we can come together and work together. I think those are lessons that would be important also to be heard in Europe or North America, that we perhaps should be a little less fearful and look for ways of promoting authentic dialogue and respect.

Snopes has previously covered rumored responses to Trump's attacks on the pope from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.