BERLIN (AP) — German voters have had their say. Now their verdict is being turned into reality underneath the glass dome of Berlin's landmark Reichstag building.
Workers on Wednesday rearranged the blue seats in the chamber of the lower house of parliament, or Bundestag.
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A worker prepares the hall for the new seating of the federal parliament Bundestag at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A worker prepares the hall for the new seating of the federal parliament Bundestag at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
German opposition leader and Christian Democratic Union party chairman Friedrich Merz, right, speaks during a debate and voting about loosen the country's debt rules and change constitution in the German Parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
German opposition leader and Christian Democratic Union party chairman Friedrich Merz, right, speaks during a debate and voting about loosen the country's debt rules and change constitution in the German Parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
German opposition leader and Christian Democratic Union party chairman Friedrich Merz , right, talks to a law maker after a debate and voting about loosen the country's debt rules and change constitution in the German Parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Media surround a worker as he removes a seat during the set-up for the new seating of the federal parliament Bundestag at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A worker removes a seat during the set-up for the new seating of the federal parliament Bundestag at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A worker removes a seat during the set-up for the new seating of the federal parliament Bundestag at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A worker removes a seat during the set-up for the new seating of the federal parliament Bundestag at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
After each election, the chairs and desks are unscrewed and put back into place to reflect the results, with aisles demarcating the seats held by different parties.
After the Feb. 23 election, there will be five groups in the new parliament. Lawmakers from the strengthened far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany will sit at one end of the semicircle of seats, with the Left Party at the other end and center-right and center-left parties in between.
There are two parties fewer than in the old parliament after the pro-business Free Democrats and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance lost their seats last month. The total number of lawmakers also fell to 630 from 733 because of a change to electoral laws.
The Bundestag sat in Bonn for half a century after the birth in 1949 of the Federal Republic of Germany — then West Germany, now the reunited country. In 1999, nearly a decade after reunification, lawmakers moved to the Reichstag in Berlin, which had been transformed with the glass cupola designed by British architect Norman Foster.
The 21st Bundestag will hold its first session Tuesday. It's unclear when it will elect a new chancellor, since election winner Friedrich Merz is still in talks to form a coalition government.
But it is expected to elect its new speaker. The strongest party traditionally takes that job, and Merz's conservative Union bloc has nominated prominent lawmaker Julia Klöckner.
Unusually, the outgoing Bundestag worked until the very last moment. On Tuesday, it approved plans to loosen Germany's strict debt rules to enable higher defense spending and set up an enormous fund for investment in its creaking infrastructure.
Outgoing speaker Bärbel Bas thanked the workers who would rearrange the chamber “in overtime and at the weekend” as she closed Tuesday's special session.
A worker prepares the hall for the new seating of the federal parliament Bundestag at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A worker prepares the hall for the new seating of the federal parliament Bundestag at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
German opposition leader and Christian Democratic Union party chairman Friedrich Merz, right, speaks during a debate and voting about loosen the country's debt rules and change constitution in the German Parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
German opposition leader and Christian Democratic Union party chairman Friedrich Merz, right, speaks during a debate and voting about loosen the country's debt rules and change constitution in the German Parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
German opposition leader and Christian Democratic Union party chairman Friedrich Merz , right, talks to a law maker after a debate and voting about loosen the country's debt rules and change constitution in the German Parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Media surround a worker as he removes a seat during the set-up for the new seating of the federal parliament Bundestag at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A worker removes a seat during the set-up for the new seating of the federal parliament Bundestag at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A worker removes a seat during the set-up for the new seating of the federal parliament Bundestag at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A worker removes a seat during the set-up for the new seating of the federal parliament Bundestag at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV pushed back Monday on President Donald Trump’s broadside against him over the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, telling reporters that the Vatican’s appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel, and that he doesn’t fear the Trump administration.
“To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is,” Leo told The Associated Press aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria. “And I’m sorry to hear that but I will continue on what I believe is the mission of the church in the world today.”
History’s first U.S.-born pope stressed that he was not making a direct attack against Trump or anyone else with his general appeal for peace and criticisms of the “delusion of omnipotence” that is fueling the Iran war and other conflicts around the world.
“I will not enter into debate. The things that I say are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone. The message of the Gospel is very clear: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’” Leo said.
“I will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel and inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges of peace and reconciliation, and looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible.”
Speaking to other reporters, he added: “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for.''
“We are not politicians. We do not look at foreign policy from the same perspective that he may have,'' the pope said, adding, ”I will continue to speak out strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems.
"Too many people are suffering today, too many innocent people have been killed, and I believe someone must stand up and say that there is a better way,'' he said.
Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against Leo on Sunday night, saying he didn't think the U.S.-born global leader of the Catholic Church is “doing a very good job” and that “he's a very liberal person," while also suggesting the pontiff should “stop catering to the Radical Left.”
Flying back to Washington from Florida, Trump used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticize Leo, then kept it up after deplaning, in comments on the tarmac to reporters.
“I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” he said.
Trump's comments came after Leo suggested over the weekend that a “delusion of omnipotence” is fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran. While it’s not unusual for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it’s exceedingly rare for the pope to directly criticize a U.S. leader — and Trump’s stinging response is equally uncommon, if not more so.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the president wrote in his post, adding, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon."
Italian politicians across the spectrum showed their solidarity with Leo. Premier Giorgia Meloni sent a message of support for his peace mission while the leader of the main opposition party, Elly Schlein, was more direct, calling Trump’s attacks “extremely serious.”
Trump repeated that sentiment in comments to reporters, saying, “We don’t like a pope who says it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon.”
Later, Trump posted a picture suggesting he had saint-like powers akin to those of Jesus Christ. Wearing a biblical-style robe, Trump is seen laying hands on a bedridden man as light emanates from his fingers, while a soldier, a nurse, a praying woman and a bearded man in a baseball cap all look on admiringly. The sky above is filled with eagles, an American flag and vaporous images.
All of that came after Leo presided over an evening prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, the same day the United States and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan during a fragile ceasefire, with Vice President JD Vance leading the U.S. delegation. Vance is Catholic and recently released a book about his faith.
During his evening prayer service, the pope didn’t mention the United States or Trump by name, but his tone and message appeared directed at Trump and U.S. officials, who have boasted of U.S. military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.
Leo, who is on an 11-day trip to Africa starting Monday — has previously said that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.” He's also referenced an Old Testament passage from Isaiah, saying that “even though you make many prayers, I will not listen — your hands are full of blood.”
Before the ceasefire, when Trump warned of mass strikes against Iranian power plants and other infrastructure and that “an entire civilization will die tonight,” Leo described such sentiments as “truly unacceptable.”
In his social media post on Sunday night, however, Trump went far beyond the war in Iran in criticizing Leo.
The president wrote, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States.” That was a reference to the Trump administration having ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.
“I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do,” Trump added, referencing his 2024 election victory.
He also suggested in the post that Leo only got his position “because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”
“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” Trump wrote, adding, “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!”
In his subsequent comments to reporters, Trump remained highly critical, saying of Leo, “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess” and adding, “He’s a very liberal person.”
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement saying he was “disheartened” by Trump's comments.
“Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls,” Coakley said.
The Italian Bishops' Conference expressed regret over Trump's words, and underlined that the pope "is not a political counterpart, but the successor of Peter, called to serve the Gospel, truth and peace.''
In the 2024 election, Trump won 55% of Catholic voters, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of the electorate. But Trump's administration also has close ties to conservative evangelical Protestant leaders and has claimed heavenly endorsement for the war on Iran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Americans to pray for victory “in the name of Jesus Christ.” And, when Trump was asked whether he thought God approved of the war, he said, “I do, because God is good — because God is good and God wants to see people taken care of.”
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Winfield reported from aboard the papal plane.
Pope Leo XIV speaks to journalists aboard his flight bound for Algiers’ Houari Boumédiène International Airport on Monday, April 13, 2026, at the start of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa. (Alberto Pizzoli/Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, April 12, 2026, after he returned from Miami. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Pope Leo XIV delivers the Regina Coeli prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, April 12, 2026, after he returned from Miami. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
