Pope Leo XIV chastised the world’s warmongers who are hiding behind religion as he prayed for Christians caught up in the violence of the Middle East and Ukraine during his first Palm Sunday homily.
“Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” he told worshipers assembled in St. Peter’s Square. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.’ ”
The remarks seemed a direct rebuke to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the self-proclaimed secretary of war, and other world leaders who have invoked religious fervor to justify incursions. Hegseth, in particular, has drawn Christian references into his rhetoric since the U.S. started bombing Muslim-majority Iran on Feb. 28. His proselytizing of Christian nationalism and the monthly evangelical worship services he leads are unprecedented, legal experts told The Washington Post. His framing of the U.S. as a Christian nation wielding military might to vanquish foes, coupled with his support of the medieval Crusades — with tattoo imagery to match — have raised eyebrows. He justified the war and the targeted killing of Iran’s leader Ayatollah Khomeini as “our retribution against their ayatollah and his death cult.”
Hegseth outright invoked religious justification for the war with Iran last week, when he advised Americans to take a knee and pray to Jesus for military success in his first sermon since strikes began, The Hill reported. On March 25, in his first sermon since strikes began, Hegseth prayed for “unbreakable unity,” wisdom and endurance among members of the military, so they would be strong in committing “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”
REMO CASILLI / POOL / AFP via Getty Images
Pope Leo XIV leads a mass for Palm Sunday at St Peter’s square in the Vatican on March 29, 2026. (Photo by REMO CASILLI / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
In contrast, Pope Leo said Sunday that walking with Jesus and following in his footsteps means “we contemplate his passion for the sake of humanity, his broken heart, and his life as a gift of love.”
That entails “tearing down every barrier that separates us from God and from our neighbor, for ‘He is our peace,’ ” the pope said, quoting Ephesians 2:14 from the Bible.
At the end of the Mass the pope gave a special blessing, focusing especially on Christians in the Middle East who are “suffering the consequences of an atrocious conflict. In many cases, they cannot live fully the rites of these holy days,” he said. His words were underscored when police in Israel stopped Catholic leaders from celebrating a private Palm Sunday Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, built on the spot where Jesus was thought to have been crucified.
AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino
Pope Leo XIV presides over Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem and marking the beginning of Holy Week. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Sunday’s mass marked the beginning of Holy Week, the first one Leo has presided over as pope. The day commemorates the return of Jesus to Jerusalem and is the week leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection; the week is the holiest in the Christian calendar.
Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, died last Easter Monday after making one last appearance at St. Peter’s Square and taking a final trip in the Popemobile.
Since being named pope following a conclave, Leo has often spoken out against cruel tactics such as the U.S. immigration crackdown.
With News Wire Services