Pope Leo Condemns War, Says God Ignores Leaders With ‘Hands Full of Blood’
Pope Leo XIV delivered a stinging rebuke to the Trump administration on Sunday, asserting that God disregards the prayers of leaders “with hands full of blood,” as thousands of U.S. Troops were deploying to the Middle East. The Pope’s comments came days after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly prayed for “violence against enemies” who he claimed deserved “no mercy.”
Speaking during Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo described the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States as “atrocious” and insisted that Jesus Christ could not be invoked to justify war. “Here’s our God: Jesus, king of peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” he told worshippers. He then quoted a passage from scripture, stating, “‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.’”
The Pope’s unusually direct criticism follows a pattern of escalating tensions and increasingly stark rhetoric. Last week, Hegseth, at a Christian worship service for Pentagon staff, offered a prayer calling for “overwhelming violence” against those he deemed enemies of the United States. Hegseth’s remarks, and his affiliation with a church identifying as Christian nationalist, have drawn significant controversy.
While Pope Leo did not explicitly name any government or individual, the timing of his remarks clearly signaled a response to the actions and statements of the Trump administration. The Vatican has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and a ban on airstrikes in the region, lamenting the devastation in Lebanon, Israel, and Gulf states. The Pope expressed concern that Christians in the region may be unable to observe Easter due to the conflict.
The escalating military posture of the United States adds further context to the Pope’s condemnation. According to U.S. Officials cited by the Washington Post, the Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations. Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has responded with a defiant statement, asserting that Iranian forces are prepared to retaliate against any U.S. Troop deployment.
The use of religious justification for military action has been a recurring theme in the current crisis. Hegseth’s invocation of faith has been particularly scrutinized, while Pope Leo has consistently framed the conflict as a betrayal of Christian principles. In a related statement on March 23rd, Pope Leo called for a ban on airstrikes, arguing they are instruments of destruction, not peace.
Adding to the diplomatic complexities, Israeli police on Sunday prevented Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Catholic archbishop for Israel and the Palestinian territories, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to conduct mass. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the incident as an affront to religious freedom, though Israeli authorities have yet to respond.
Pope Leo received an invitation to visit the White House from Donald Trump last year, but no plans for such a visit have been announced. The Pope’s recent statements suggest a growing divergence between the Vatican and the Trump administration on the issue of war and peace in the Middle East.