The Pope has urged Donald Trump not to try to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro using military force.

Leo, the first American pontiff, said it would be better to attempt dialogue or impose economic pressure on Venezuela if Washington wants to pursue change there.

The Trump administration has been weighing options to combat what it has portrayed as Mr Maduro’s role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans.

The socialist Venezuelan president has denied having any links to the illegal drug trade.

Asked during a news conference about President Trump’s threats to remove Mr Maduro by force, the Pope said: “It is better to search for ways of dialogue, or perhaps pressure, including economic pressure.”

He added that Washington should search for other ways to achieve change “if that is what they want to do in the United States”.

The Pope was speaking as he flew home from a visit to Turkey and Lebanon – his first overseas trip in the role.

Mr Maduro has said Venezuelans are ready to defend their country as the US considers a land attack.

The president held a rally in Caracas amid heightened tensions with Mr Trump’s administration, which has been targeting what it says are boats carrying drug smugglers.

Mr Trump met his national security team on Monday evening, having warned last week that land strikes would start “very soon”.

It’s not been confirmed what was discussed at the meeting, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: “There’s many options at the president’s disposal that are on the table – and I’ll let him speak on those.”

US forces have carried out at least 21 strikes on boats it claims were carrying narcotics to its shores over the last few months.

Mr Maduro – widely considered a dictator by the West – said on Monday that Venezuelans are ready “to defend [the country] and lead it to the path of peace”.

“We have lived through 22 weeks of aggression that can only be described as psychological terrorism,” he said.

Venezuela has said the boat attacks, which have killed more than 80 people, amount to murder – and that Mr Trump’s true motivation is to oust Mr Maduro and access its oil.

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“Many options” are on the table to deal with Venezuelan drug gangs, the White House has said, as the US considers attacking on land.

President Trump is meeting his national security team on Monday and could discuss what would be a major escalation in strikes that have so far only targeted boats.

Karoline Leavitt, the president’s press secretary, did not detail what the meeting would focus on. However, Mr Trump said last week that land strikes would start “very soon”.

“There’s many options at the president’s disposal that are on the table – and I’ll let him speak on those,” Ms Leavitt told reporters.

American forces have carried out at least 21 strikes on boats it claims were carrying narcotics to its shores over the last few months.

The US has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of being involved in the drugs trade – a claim he denies.

Venezuela has said the attacks, which have killed more than 80 people, amount to murder and that President Trump’s true motivation is to oust Mr Maduro and access its oil.

President Maduro – widely considered a dictator by the West – said on Monday that Venezuelans are ready “to defend [the country] and lead it to the path of peace”.

“We have lived through 22 weeks of aggression that can only be described as psychological terrorism,” he said.

Concerns have been raised over the legality of the US attacks, which the Pentagon has sought to justify by designating the gangs as foreign terror organisations.

Tensions remain high over America’s large deployment in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, which includes its flagship aircraft carrier and thousands of troops.

The US has released videos of boats being blown up but has not provided evidence – such as photos of drugs – to support the smuggling claims.

Controversy also surrounds the first incident, on 2 September, in which 11 people were killed – with a follow-up strike targeting the boat after the first attack left two survivors in the water.

US media reported defence secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order beforehand that everyone on board should be killed.

However, there are concerns about the legality of the second strike if the survivors posed no threat.

Mr Hegseth dismissed the reporting as “fake news” and insisted all actions in the region are compliant with US and international law.

“Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization,” he said on X.

President Trump said on Sunday he would not have wanted a second strike and that Mr Hegseth had denied giving such an order.

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Ms Leavitt confirmed on Monday that the boat had been hit by a second strike – but denied Mr Hegseth gave the order for the follow-up.

Instead, she said he had authorised US navy vice admiral Frank Bradley to attack and the admiral acted “well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the US was eliminated”.

As the US weighs its next steps, Mr Trump said on Sunday he had spoken to President Maduro by phone and that the conversation went neither “well or badly”.

In recent days, he also stated that Venezuela’s airspace should be considered closed – with the South American nation calling it a “colonial threat” and “illegal, and unjustified aggression”.

The White House has revealed details of Donald Trump’s recent medical evaluation involving a scan of his cardiovascular system and abdomen.

The US president, 79, underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan in October, which was confirmed in a memo from his doctor, Sean P Barbabella.

The White House physician wrote that the cardiovascular and abdominal imaging was “perfectly normal”.

“The purpose of this imaging is preventive: to identify issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure he maintains long-term vitality and function,” said Dr Barbabella.

He added that there was “no evidence of arterial narrowing impairing blood flow or abnormalities in the heart or major vessels”.

“The heart chambers are normal in size, the vessel walls appear smooth and health, and there are no signs of inflammation, or clotting.”

As for the abdominal imaging, he wrote that “all major organs appear very healthy and well-perfused”.

“Everything evaluated is functioning within normal limits with no acute or chronic concerns.”

He said the imaging was done “because men in his age group benefit from a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health”.

While speaking to reporters on Sunday, the US president said he didn’t know what part of his body was examined but added: “It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and I aced it.”

He described the results of the MRI as “perfect”.

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In 2022, Donald Trump described himself as “the healthiest president that’s ever lived” but in July was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) after noticing “mild swelling” in his lower legs.

Dr Barbabella said CVI, which causes blood to pool in the veins, was a “benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70”.

Concerns were also raised in July about photos which showed bruising on the back of Mr Trump’s hand that had been covered with make-up.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified this was “minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin” to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.