In May 2025, shortly after Pope Leo XIV's inauguration, a quote social media users attributed to the new pope circulated online. It read:
You cannot follow both Christ and the cruelty of kings. A leader who mocks the weak, exalts himself, and preys on the innocent is not sent by God. He is sent to test you. And many are failing.
The alleged quote spread on multiple sites, most widely on Facebook (archived) and Threads (archived). Collectively, these posts garnered tens of thousands of reactions, and dozens of Snopes readers also searched for verification of the quote. Some people also interpreted the alleged quote to apply to U.S. President Donald Trump, "the current American administration" and "MAGA," according to social media comments.
The Threads post linked above appeared on the internet on May 14, 2025. It is unclear whether this was the original post, but we have not found an earlier one.
(Threads user @feliciamlopes)
We reached out to both the Instagram account @feliciamlopes and the official Holy See Press Office for verification or comment, and will update this story if we receive a response from either party.
There is no evidence Pope Leo XIV publicly said the quote in question. A Google search of the words "Pope Leo 'you cannot follow both Christ and the cruelty of kings'" revealed only social media posts featuring the graphic above or attributing the quote to Pope Leo XIV without any evidence.
(Google.com)
The official Vatican news site also did not yield any results, and no reputable news outlet reported the alleged quote.
In sum, there is no evidence social media users correctly attributed the quote to Pope Leo XIV; the exact origins of the quote are unknown. Because of this, the claim is incorrectly attributed.