VATICAN CITY — In his first Palm Sunday as Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV used the start of Holy Week to deliver a passionate defense of non-violence. Identifying Jesus as the “King of Peace” who purposefully entered Jerusalem unarmed, the Pope declared that those who invoke faith to fuel military aggression are in direct opposition to the Gospel.
“Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” Leo said. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”
Addressing the “Theology of Violence”
The Pope’s remarks were particularly pointed following recent statements from high-ranking officials in the U.S., Israel, and Russia.
- The U.S. Context: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has recently invoked his Christian faith to frame the month-old war against Iran as a “righteous” struggle of a Christian nation.
- The Russian Context: The Russian Orthodox Church has similarly characterized the invasion of Ukraine as a “holy war” against perceived Western evil.
Pope Leo directly countered these narratives by citing the biblical account of Jesus’ arrest, where Christ rebuked a disciple for drawing a sword. “Jesus did not arm himself, or defend himself, or fight any war,” Leo reminded the faithful. “He revealed the gentle face of God, who always rejects violence.”
A Voice for the Wounded
At the conclusion of the Mass, the Pope offered a special blessing for those in the Middle East—specifically Christians who, for the first time in centuries, find themselves unable to celebrate the rites of Holy Week due to the “atrocious conflict.”
His words carried significant weight following reports from earlier this morning that Israeli police blocked Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday prayers.
A Return to Tradition: Holy Thursday
In a notable shift from his predecessor, Pope Francis—who often washed the feet of prisoners and migrants in peripheral locations—Leo XIV announced he would return the Holy Thursday foot-washing ritual to the Basilica of St. John Lateran. This move by the Chicago-born Pope is seen by some as a restoration of traditional papal protocol, even as his rhetoric on war remains strikingly radical and direct.
Key Excerpts from the Homily
| Theme | Pope Leo XIV’s Message |
| Justification | “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.” |
| Identity of God | “Jesus is the King of Peace… his was an unarmed struggle.” |
| Middle East | “Trials of those wounded by war appeal to the conscience of all.” |
| Technology | Condemned the “regression” of AI being used to automate life-and-death choices. |
