On Palm Sunday, pope says God rejects the prayers of leaders who wage wars

• Pope Leo condemns war, saying God rejects the prayers of leaders with “hands full of blood.”

Pope Leo delivered unusually forceful remarks on Palm Sunday, declaring that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have “hands full of blood,” as the Iran war entered its second month.

Addressing tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square, the pontiff emphasized that Jesus cannot be used to justify any war. “This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” he told the crowd under brilliant sunshine.

Citing a Bible passage, Leo added: “[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.’”

The pope did not name any specific world leaders but has increasingly criticized the Iran war in recent weeks. Known for choosing his words carefully, he has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire and condemned indiscriminate military airstrikes, saying they should be banned.

His remarks come as some U.S. officials have invoked Christian language to justify joint U.S.-'Israeli' strikes on Iran that began on February 28. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who recently started leading Christian prayer services at the Pentagon, prayed for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy” during a service on Wednesday.