Pope Leo XIV declared in his Palm Sunday sermon that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have "hands covered with blood." He was responding to the fact that the war in Iran has entered its second month.
Speaking to tens of thousands of people in St Peter's Square in Rome, the Pope stressed that Jesus cannot be used to justify any wars. "This is our God: Jesus, the King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war," Leo XIV said.
"(Jesus) does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: 'Even if you pray so many more times, I will not hear you: your hands are full of blood,'" he stated, referring to a biblical passage.
The Pope did not specifically mention any world leaders. But in recent weeks he has stepped up his criticism of the war in Iran. The pontiff, who is known for choosing his words carefully, has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict and has insisted that military air strikes are indiscriminate and should be banned.
