Pope Leo said today that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and “stain their hands with blood”, in an unusually harsh statement as the war in Iran enters its second month.
Addressing tens of thousands of people in St Peter’s Square today on Catholic Palm Sunday, the pontiff said the name of Jesus cannot be used to justify wars.
“This is our god: Jesus, the King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” the first American pope told the faithful.
“Jesus does not hear the prayers of those who make war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Though you pray much, I will not hear you: your hands are stained with blood,'” he said, citing a Bible verse.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church did not specifically name any world leaders, but has increased his criticism of the Iran war in recent weeks.
The pope, who is famous for choosing his words carefully, has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire and said last week that airstrikes and indiscriminate attacks should be banned.
What came before
Some US officials have invoked a Christian rationale to justify the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, which started the war.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, in the Pentagon and during the service on Wednesday, prayed for “overwhelming force of action against those who do not deserve mercy”.
Pope Leo today cited a Bible verse in which Jesus, just before he was arrested to be led to the cross, reprimanded one of his followers for striking his captor.
“Jesus did not arm himself, nor did he defend himself, nor did he fight. He revealed the calm face of God, who always rejects violence. Instead of saving himself, he allowed himself to be nailed to the cross,” the pontiff concluded.
