The Pope's Sermon This Morning Was a Rebuke of Pete Hegseth [View all]
Source: Mother Jones
On Sunday, Pope Leo said that God refuses the prayers of leaders who have “hands full of blood,” in what appeared to be a direct rebuke to many Trump administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who have invoked religious rhetoric to justify their war with Iran.
“This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” Leo said to thousands of people attending his Palm Sunday mass at St. Peter’s Square. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”
The pope has made repeated calls for an immediate ceasefire in Iran and, last Monday, said military airstrikes should be banned.
“Thousands of innocent people have been killed, and many others have been forced to abandon their homes,” Leo said earlier this month. “I renew my prayerful closeness to all those who have lost their loved ones in the attacks that have struck schools, hospitals, and residential areas.”
Read more: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/03/popes-leo-sermon-rebuke-of-pete-hegseth-iran-war/
God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.” Pope Leo
Alex Nguyen
Contributing Writer, Mother Jones
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