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14-04-2026
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo on Saturday urged world leaders to end what he called the “madness of war,” in an impassioned appeal as senior US and Iranian officials met in Pakistan to discuss ending the six-week conflict.
At a special prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica, the first US pope decried the use of religious language to justify war and said a “delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us … is becoming increasingly unpredictable”.
Making a direct appeal to world leaders, he said: “Stop! It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned.”
Leo, who is known for choosing his words carefully, has emerged as an outspoken critic of the Iran war.
On Saturday, he used forceful language to denounce conflict, citing letters from children in war zones he said described “horror and inhumanity”.
The pope also referenced the Church’s opposition to the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, citing an appeal by the late Pope John Paul II made four days before the start of that conflict.
“Enough of the idolatry of self and money!” Leo said. “Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!” The pope, who on March 30 said God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have “hands full of blood,” denounced again on Saturday the use of Christian language to justify war.
“The balance within the human family has been severely destabilized,” said Leo. “Even the holy Name of God, the God of life, is being dragged into discourses of death.” The pope’s earlier comments were interpreted by conservative Catholic commentators as aimed at US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has invoked Christian language to justify the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran that initiated the war.
Saturday’s special prayer service was announced by Leo last Sunday, in the pope’s Easter message.
Earlier, Pope Leo said on Sunday that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have “hands full of blood”, in unusually forceful remarks as the Iran war entered its second month.
Addressing tens of thousands in St. Peter’s Square on Palm Sunday, the celebration that opens the holy week leading up to Easter for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, the pontiff called the conflict “atrocious” and said Jesus cannot be used to justify any wars. “This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” Leo, the first US pope, told crowds in brilliant sunshine.
“(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’,” he said, citing a Bible passage.
Leo did not specifically name any world leaders, but he has been ramping up criticism of the Iran war in recent weeks.
During an appeal at the end of Sunday’s celebration, the pope lamented that Christians in the Middle East “are suffering the consequences of an atrocious conflict” and may not be able to celebrate Easter.
The pope, who is known for choosing his words carefully, has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict and said on Monday that military airstrikes are indiscriminate and should be banned.
Some US officials have invoked Christian language to justify the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 that initiated the expanding war.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has started leading Christian prayer services at the Pentagon, prayed at a service on Wednesday for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy”. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
