God rejects prayers of leaders who wage wars, Pope Leo tells thousands in Palm Sunday homily

VATICAN CITY – Pope Leo said on March 29 that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have “hands full of blood”, in unusually forceful remarks as the Iran war entered its second month.

Addressing tens of thousands of people at St Peter’s Square on Palm Sunday – the celebration that opens the holiest week of the year in the lead-up to Easter for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics – the pontiff said Jesus cannot be used to justify any wars.

“This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” Pope Leo, the first American pope, told the crowds in brilliant sunshine.

“(Jesus) 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’,” he said, citing a Bible passage.

Pope Leo did not specifically name any world leaders, but he has been ramping up criticism of the Iran war in recent weeks.

The Pope, who is known for choosing his words carefully, has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict and said on March 23 that military air strikes are indiscriminate and should be banned.

Some US officials have invoked Christian language to justify the joint US-Israeli strike on Iran on Feb 28 that initiated the expanding war.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has started leading Christian prayer services at the Pentagon, prayed at a service on March 25 for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy”.

Pope Leo referenced a Bible passage on March 29 in which Jesus, about to be arrested ahead of his crucifixion, rebuked one of his followers for striking the person arresting him with a sword.

“(Jesus) did not arm himself, or defend himself, or fight any war,” Pope Leo said. “He revealed the gentle face of God, who always rejects violence. Rather than saving himself, he allowed himself to be nailed to the cross.” REUTERS