Pope Leo XIV (C) celebrates the Holy Mass of Palm Sunday in Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City, 29 March 2026. Photo: EFE/EPA/ANGELO CARCONI
March 29, 2026 Hour: 1:20 pm
🔗 Comparte este artículo
Pope Leo XIV presided over the celebration of Palm Sunday in St. Peter’s Square before 40,000 people, focusing his Easter message on absolute rejection of violence, in an international context of war.
RELATED:
Outraged Pope Leo XIV Middle East War: Calls Violence ‘Scandal to Humanity’ in Angelus Appeal
During his homily, the leader of the Catholic Church affirmed that God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage wars and urged those responsible for the clashes to lay down their arms and remember their status as brothers, appealing to mercy.
The pontiff linked the wounds of Jesus to the suffering of men and women oppressed by violence today. In his cry, he claimed to hear the pain of the hopeless and the victims of war, turning the religious rite into an act of human solidarity.
At the end of the mass, the Pope expressed his special closeness to the Christians of the Middle East who are suffering the consequences of atrocious conflicts. He lamented that in the Holy Land many faithful cannot celebrate the rites due to the violence and restrictions imposed by the state of war.
The day was marked by the denunciation of the Latin Patriarchate about the Israeli police, who prevented high ecclesiastical authorities from accessing the Holy Sepulcher. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Father Francesco Ielpo were intercepted and forced to turn back when they were on their way to celebrate mass.
Finally, Leo XIV asked the international community to raise prayers for the wounded peoples so that concrete paths of reconciliation may be opened. The Supreme Pontiff announced that he will maintain the Stations of the Cross in the Colosseum, but will return the Holy Thursday Mass to the historic Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano.