Leo XIV has rejected claims that God justifies war and prayed especially for Christians in the Middle East during a Palm Sunday Mass before tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square. With the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran entering its second month and Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, Leo dedicated his homily to God, the “king of peace,” who rejects violence and comforts those who are oppressed. Leaders on all sides of the Iran war have used religion to justify their actions. U.S. officials, especially Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have invoked their Protestant faith to cast the war as a Christian nation vanquishing its foes with military might.
