God Isn't Interested in Justifying War, Pope Says

Palm Sunday sermon answers leaders who have brought their faith into debates
Posted Mar 29, 2026 3:05 PM CDT
God Isn't Interested in Justifying War, Pope Says
A procession precedes Pope Leo XIV as he presides over Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on the Catholic feast of Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem, om Sunday, March 29, 2026.   (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

While airstrikes cross the Middle East and the Pentagon makes plans for ground operations there, Pope Leo XIV used his Palm Sunday address to warn that God does not heed the prayers of those who initiate war. Speaking to crowds in St. Peter's Square, the first American pope cited Scripture in describing Jesus as a "King of Peace" and said no one can invoke him to justify armed conflict, the Hill reports. "He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them," Leo said. US officials, especially Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have been among the leaders involved in the war who have brought their faith into efforts to cast the war as a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might, the AP points out.

Hegseth has turned away from the military's longstanding practices on mixing religion with war, which include Gen. George Patton ordering an interfaith prayer to be written for troops to say in World War II and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen leaving Mass off his public schedule in the late 2000s when US troops were in Iraq and Afghanistan. Former high-ranking military officials and experts on religion and law told the Washington Post that Hegseth's actions violate the Constitution and risk the bonds of mutual respect necessary among troops.

The secretary hosts monthly evangelical worship services at the Pentagon, also unprecedented. Hegseth promotes his views of Christianity, which include labeling those who disagree with him as God's enemies, on social media and public remarks. Russia's Orthodox Church, too, has justified Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a "holy war" against a Western world it says has fallen into evil.

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