Pope uses Palm Sunday Mass to reject claims that God justifies war – National
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday rejected claims that God condones war, as he prayed especially for Christians in the Middle East during Palm Sunday Mass before tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.
As the US-Israeli war against Iran enters its second month and the ongoing Russian campaign in Ukraine, Leo dedicated his Palm Sunday family to his insistence that God is the “king of peace” who rejects violence and comforts the oppressed.
“Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, the Lord of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” said Leo. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who fight the war, but he rejects it.”
Leaders on all sides of the Iran war have used religion to justify their actions. American officials, especially the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, appealed to their Christian faith to fight as a Christian nation trying to eliminate its enemies through military force.
The Russian Orthodox Church has also justified Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “holy war” against a West it considers to have fallen into evil.
Palm Sunday marks Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem in the time leading up to his crucifixion, where Christians spend Good Friday, and the resurrection on Easter Sunday.
In a special blessing at the end of the Mass, Leo said he was praying especially for Christians in the Middle East “who are facing the consequences of a terrible conflict.” In many cases, they cannot fully live the rituals of these holy days.
Earlier on Sunday, the Latin Patriarchate said that the police in Jerusalem prevented the senior leadership of the Catholic Church from entering the Church of the Holy Place. It was the first time in centuries that church leaders were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday in the place where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, the Patriarchate said.
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Israeli police said the Catholic leaders’ request to enter the church was denied, as all holy places in Jerusalem’s Old City were closed to worship for security reasons. A police statement said freedom of worship would continue to be upheld “under the necessary restrictions.”
Leo said during Holy Week, Christians cannot forget how many people in the world are suffering like Christ. “Their temptations appeal to the conscience of all.” Let’s raise our prayers to the Lord of Peace to support the people who have been hurt by the war and to open direct ways for reconciliation and peace,” said Leo.
Holy Week commemorating the suffering of Pope Francis
For many people in the Vatican, the start of Holy Week this year brings back memories of the last days of suffering for Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday.
At the opening of Holy Week last year, Francis was still recovering at the Vatican after spending five weeks in hospital with double pneumonia. He had sent liturgical celebrations to others, but he gathered on Easter Sunday to greet the parishioners from the loggia of St. Peter’s Square. Most tragically, he then made what was to be his last popemobile loop around the piazza.
Francis died the next morning after suffering a stroke. His nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, later told Vatican Media that Francis had said to him: “Thank you for bringing me back to the square” to pay his last respects.
Leo is to preside over the selection of this week’s service and returns to tradition with Holy Thursday’s foot washing ceremony which commemorates Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples.
During his 12-year papacy, Francis celebrated the Holy Thursday tradition by visiting prisons in Rome and refugee centers to wash the feet of many marginalized people. His aim was to teach a message of service and humility, and he often pondered during his Holy Thursday meetings “Why them and not me?”
Francis’ action was praised as tangible evidence of his belief that the church should go to the surrounding areas to find those who are most in need of God’s love and mercy. But some critics were keen on the annual exodus, especially since Francis would also wash the feet of Muslims and people of other faiths.
Leo brings back the custom of foot washing during Holy Week
Leo, the first US-born pope in history, is bringing back the Holy Thursday foot washing tradition at St. John Lateran, where the popes acted for decades. The Vatican has not said who will take part, although Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II usually wash the feet of 12 priests.
On Friday, Leo will preside over the Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum commemorating Christ’s suffering and crucifixion. Saturday brings the Easter Vigil at night, when Leo will baptize new Catholics, followed a few hours later by Easter Sunday when Christians remember the resurrection of Jesus.
Leo will celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at St. Peter’s Square and then delivered his Easter blessing from the loggia of the church.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
