Pope Leo XIV rejects claims that God justifies war in Palm Sunday Mass message

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday 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 campaign in Ukraine, Leo dedicated his Palm Sunday homily to insist that God is the “king of peace” who rejects violence and comforts those who are oppressed.

“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.”

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 Christian faith to cast the war as a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might.

Russia's Orthodox Church, too, has justified Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a “holy war” against a Western world it considers has fallen into evil.

Palm Sunday marks Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem in the time leading up to his crucifixion, which Christians observe on Good Friday, and resurrection on Easter Sunday.

In a special blessing at the end of Mass, Leo said he was praying especially for Christians in the Middle East who are “suffering the consequences of an atrocious conflict. In many cases, they cannot live fully the rites of these holy days.”

Earlier Sunday, the Latin Patriarchate said Jerusalem police prevented the Catholic church’s top leadership from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was the first time in centuries church leaders were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday at the place where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, the Patriarchate said.

Leo said that during Holy Week, Christians cannot forget how many people around the world are suffering as Christ did. “Their trials appeal to the conscience of all. Let us raise our prayers to the Prince of Peace so that he may support people wounded by war and open concrete paths of reconciliation and peace,” Leo said.

When Holy Week opened last year, Pope Francis was still recovering at the Vatican after a five-week hospital stay for double pneumonia. He had delegated the liturgical celebrations to others, but rallied on Easter Sunday to greet the faithful from the loggia of St. Peter’s Square. Most poignantly, he then made what became his final popemobile loop around the piazza.

Francis died the following morning, Easter Monday, after suffering a stroke. His nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, later told Vatican Media that Francis had told him: “Thank you for bringing me back to the square” for the final salute.

Leo is due to preside over this week’s liturgical appointments and is returning to tradition with the Holy Thursday foot-washing ceremony that commemorates Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples.

During his 12-year pontificate, Francis famously celebrated the Holy Thursday ritual by traveling to Rome-area prisons and refugee centers to wash the feet of people most on society’s margins. His aim was to drive home the ritual’s message of service and humility, and he would frequently muse during his Holy Thursday homilies “Why them and not me?”

Francis’ gesture had been praised as a tangible evidence of his belief that the church must go to the peripheries to find those most in need of God’s love and mercy. But some critics bristled at the annual outings, especially since Francis would also wash the feet of Muslims and people of other faiths.

Leo, history’s first U.S.-born pope, is returning the Holy Thursday foot-washing tradition to the basilica of St. John Lateran, where popes performed it for decades. The Vatican hasn’t yet said who will participate, though Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II normally washed the feet of 12 priests.

On Friday, Leo is due to preside over the Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum commemorating Christ’s Passion and crucifixion. Saturday brings the late night Easter Vigil, during which Leo will baptize new Catholics, followed a few hours later by Easter Sunday when Christians commemorate the resurrection of Jesus.

Leo will celebrate Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square and then deliver his Easter blessing from the loggia of the basilica.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Pope Leo XIV leaves after presiding over Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on the Catholic feast of Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV caresses a child after presiding over Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on the Catholic feast of Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV presides over Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on the Catholic feast of Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Priests attend Mass presided over by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on the Catholic feast of Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV presides over Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (Remo Casilli/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Leo XIV presides over Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on the Catholic feast of Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV presides over Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on the Catholic feast of Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV presides over Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on the Catholic feast of Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV presides over Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on the Catholic feast of Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV presides over Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on the Catholic feast of Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Iranian forces “are waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever,” the country's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Sunday.

The comments came as regional powers plan to meet in Pakistan to discuss how to end the fighting in the Middle East as about 2,500 U.S. Marines arrived in the region and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels entered the monthlong war.

Qalibaf added: “Our firing continues. Our missiles are in place. Our determination and faith have increased.”

Pakistan said Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will send top diplomats to Islamabad for talks. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held “extensive discussions” on regional hostilities.

The war has threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel. Iran’s grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and prices.

The Houthis’ entry could further hurt global shipping if they again target vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade typically passes.

Here is the latest:

Pope Leo XIV has rejected claims that God justifies war and offered prayers for Christians in the Middle East during a Palm Sunday Mass.

Leo dedicated his Palm Sunday homily in St. Peter’s Square to insist that God is the “king of peace” who rejects violence and comforts those who are oppressed.

“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.”

He said he was praying for Christians “suffering the consequences of an atrocious conflict. In many cases, they cannot live fully the rites of these holy days.”

The Latin Patriarchate said Jerusalem police prevented the Catholic church’s senior leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem for the Palm Sunday mass.

It was “the first time in centuries” that Church leaders were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday at the place where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, the Patriarchate said.

“Preventing the entry of the Cardinal and the Custos, who bear the highest ecclesiastical responsibility for the Catholic Church and Holy Places, constitutes a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure,” the Latin Patriarchate said.

The Jerusalem police did not comment.

Iran’s parliament speaker on Sunday warned the U.S. against a ground invasion, threatening to set the American troops “on fire” and step up attacks on US allies, according to Iranian official media.

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Iranian forces “are waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever.”

He added: “Our firing continues. Our missiles are in place. Our determination and faith have increased.”

He described the U.S.’s 15-point plan which Pakistan passed to Iran last week as “their wishes” and said the Trump administration is attempting to do through the plan what it has failed to achieve by force.

“As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is clear: Far be it from us to accept humiliation,” he said.

U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have driven up prices, darkened the outlook for the world economy, sent global stock markets reeling and forced developing countries to ration fuel and subsidize energy costs to protect their poorest.

Ongoing strikes and counterstrikes on Persian Gulf refineries, pipelines, gas fields and tanker terminals threaten to the prolong the global economic pain for months, even years.

“A week ago or certainly two weeks ago, I would have said: If the war stopped that day, the long-term implications would be pretty small,’’ said Christopher Knittel, an energy economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “But what we’re seeing is infrastructure actually being destroyed, which means the ramifications of this war are going to be long-lived.’’

Israel and the U.S. are “working in very close coordination” to respond after Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they had launched missiles toward Israeli targets, Israeli military spokesperson Col. Nadav Shoshani told reporters on Sunday.

He declined to provide details on operations against the Iran-backed group, which controls parts of Yemen, but said Israel had grown accustomed to confronting repeated attacks from the Houthis, who have for more than two years launched missiles and drones toward Israel and shipping targets in the Red Sea.

He also said Israeli military statements about nearing completion of top-priority strikes did not mean it was running out of overall targets.

“There are many more groups of targets and there are also many more targets when it comes to (ballistic missile) production,” he said.

Mourners gathered on Sunday in Choueifat, south of Beirut, for the funerals of three journalists killed by an Israeli airstrike.

Ali Shoeib, a correspondent with Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV, Fatima Ftouni, a reporter with the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV, and her brother Mohammed, a cameraman with the station, were killed in a strike on their car while covering the Israel-Hezbollah war in southern Lebanon on Saturday.

Israel’s military said it had targeted Shoeib, accusing him of being a Hezbollah intelligence operative, without providing evidence. Lebanese officials have condemned the strike as a war crime.

Mourners chanted, “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” as the bodies were buried in an empty lot converted into a temporary graveyard during the war.

“It’s not the first time our colleagues are killed,” said Mohammad Ali Badreddine, an SNG engineer with al-Mayadeen. “It’s a big loss... they were among the brightest and most professional people and also among the kindest people.”

Al Araby Television Network said an Israeli missile hit its office building in Iran’s capital, Tehran, forcing its live broadcast to stop, and left “extensive damage” to the office.

In a video posted on the channel’s social media accounts, one of its reporters showed the damage to the office. Equipment, furniture, and debris could be seen scattered on the ground.

Rubble and damaged vehicles down the street could be seen in the video.

The Defense Ministry said it intercepted and destroyed 10 drones attacking the oil-rich country Sunday morning.

Hakan Fidan met Sunday with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad, with both sides calling for dialogue and diplomacy to ease tensions in the Middle East.

According to a statement from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two sides emphasized the need for de-escalation, diplomatic engagement and closer coordination to promote peace and stability in the region.

Kuwait says air defense systems intercepted four drones attacking the oil-rich country Sunday morning.

Radar systems at the Kuwait International Airport were damaged in a strike Saturday.

The Israeli military says residents in “relevant areas” have received warnings and air defenses are working to intercept the incoming fire.

The Israeli military says it struck targets in Tehran and other parts of the country.

Egypt’s top diplomat met Pakistan’s foreign minister in Islamabad Sunday to discuss efforts to help bring the United States and Iran back to the negotiating table and ease tensions in the region, officials said.

Ishaq Dar and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty will hold bilateral talks on regional developments, according to a statement by Pakistan’s foreign ministry.

The Egyptian foreign ministry said that the meeting will discuss “the developments of the military escalation … and de-escalation efforts in the region."

During a stop in Qatar Saturday, Abdelatty said their efforts aim to establish a “direct dialogue” between the United States and Iran.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Pakistan late Saturday. Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat is expected in Islamabad Sunday.

The Revolutionary Guard’s warning on Sunday said it would consider Israeli universities and branches of American universities in the region “legitimate targets,” state media reported.

“If the U.S. government wants its universities in the region spared, it should condemn the bombardment of (Iranian) universities by 12 o’clock Monday, March 30, in an official statement,” the Guard said in a statement, urging the evacuations of American and Israeli educational facilities and telling students and staff to stay at least one kilometer (0.6 miles) away.

The Guard also demanded the United States stop Israel from striking Iranian universities and research centers, which have been attacked in recent days. Israel’s military has acknowledged striking Iranian universities it says are connected to weapons development.

This is the first time Iran has threatened to strike Israeli and American universities.

The Israeli military identified the dead soldier as Sgt. Moshe Yitzchak Hacohen Katz, originally from New Haven, Connecticut.

Rabbi Yehoshua Hecht, a relative in Connecticut, spoke to Israel’s Army Radio station, describing his great nephew as a “very special young man” who was religious, a good student and “enjoyed every moment of life.”

Katz was killed in combat in southern Lebanon as Israel expands an invasion there.

Israel’s military said early Sunday that a soldier had been killed while three others were wounded in combat in southern Lebanon.

This brings the total to five Israeli soldiers killed in southern Lebanon since the conflict with Hezbollah reignited after the militant group fired rockets into Israel on March 2.

Two Israeli strikes early Sunday killed six Palestinians, including three police officers, in the Gaza Strip, hospital authorities said.

One strike hit a police checkpoint while another hit a group of people in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to Nasser hospital, which received the bodies.

The Israeli military didn’t immediately comment on the strikes.

The people killed were the latest fatalities among Palestinians in the coastal enclave since an October ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Interceptions and drone activity were heard for hours overnight Saturday across Irbil, the capital of the semiautonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, including drones shot down while attempting to target the U.S. consulate and nearby bases.

AP journalists in the area reported nonstop loud explosions and saw at least one drone headed toward American facilities, in one of the most intense days of attacks since the war began.

Iran-aligned militias in Iraq have stepped up repeated drone and missile attacks on U.S. bases, including in Irbil.

In a statement on Saturday, the U.S. condemned what it called “despicable terrorist attacks” by Iran’s militant groups, saying the strikes on Kurdish regional President Nechirvan Barzani’s residence in Irbil earlier that day were “a direct assault on Iraq’s sovereignty, stability and unity.” The attack caused material damage but no casualties, and the residence was empty at the time.

Hezbollah's al-Manar TV correspondent Ali Shoeib, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Jezzine with other journalists on Saturday, March 28, 2026, speaks on his mobile phone in Marjayoun town, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A member of the Iranian Red Crescent Society stands at Hypercar, an auto service center, amid damages which according to the company's officials were caused by strikes on March 1, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People collect leaflets scattered on the ground at a site where a projectile carrying them hit an apartment building in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)