Pope Leo XIV utilized his inaugural Palm Sunday Mass to convey a forceful message opposing warfare that reverberated through social media platforms and diplomatic circles, proclaiming that God rejects violence and will not acknowledge the prayers of those engaged in war.
Thousands assembled in St. Peter’s Square on March 29 as the first pope born in America led the sacred ceremony commemorating Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem. The pontiff, age 70, wearing red vestments that represent Christ’s Passion, focused his homily on condemning the exploitation of religion to legitimize armed conflicts.
“Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” Pope Leo XIV said. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”
The pontiff’s statements arrived as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran reaches its second month and Russia’s military operation in Ukraine persists. Officials on every side of these wars have cited religious rationales for their armed interventions, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has portrayed the Iran conflict in overtly Christian language.
The Mass commenced with a procession of cardinals, bishops, priests, and laypeople bearing olive branches and elaborately woven palm leaves throughout the square. Approximately 60 cardinals and bishops took part as the procession moved around the historic Egyptian obelisk that Emperor Caligula transported to Rome in 37 A.D., a location historically linked with early Christian martyrdom, including St. Peter’s.
Pope Leo XIV offered particular prayers for Christians in the Middle East who are “suffering the consequences of a brutal conflict” and frequently cannot fully participate in Holy Week observances. His statements took on additional significance after Jerusalem police barred Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the Custos of the Holy Land from accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm March 29 Mass, marking the first occasion in centuries that church officials encountered such limitations at the location where Christians believe Jesus was crucified.
Israeli police shut down principal holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City for security purposes during Iranian missile strikes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently indicated Israel would seek to provide complete access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the days after the statement, responding to international criticism.
The observance carried special significance as it represented the first Palm Sunday following Pope Francis’s death on Easter Monday in 2025. Francis had recovered from a five-week hospital admission for double pneumonia to acknowledge the faithful from St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, completing what would be his last popemobile journey around the piazza. He experienced a stroke and passed away the next morning. His nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, subsequently disclosed that Francis had expressed to him: “Thank you for bringing me back to the square.”
Pope Leo XIV led the complete schedule of Holy Week liturgical ceremonies, including the Holy Thursday foot-washing ritual at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum, the Easter Vigil on Saturday, and Easter Mass on March 29 in St. Peter’s Square. The new pontiff restored the Holy Thursday ceremony to the basilica after Francis notably observed it by visiting Rome-area prisons and refugee centers to wash the feet of Muslims and people of other faiths.
The pontiff finished his homily by citing Servant of God, Bishop Tonino Bello, a pacifist and social justice proponent whom Pope Francis acknowledged as venerable in 2021. The bishop, who passed away in 1993, had prayed for a period when “the tears of all the victims of violence and pain will soon be dried up like frost beneath the spring sun.”
Russia’s Orthodox Church has characterized its invasion of Ukraine a “holy war” against what it considers a morally fallen West. At the same time, President Donald Trump’s administration has characterized military action in religious terms, as reflected in statements by Defense Secretary Hegseth and other officials.
Palm Sunday signals the start of Holy Week, honoring Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem before his crucifixion on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter Sunday. The liturgy features readings of Christ’s suffering and crucifixion, establishing the tone for Christianity’s most sacred week.
As the first U.S.-born pope in history navigated his first Holy Week as pontiff, his emphatic position against religious justifications for warfare indicated a continuation of recent papal focus on peace while establishing his own distinct voice on the global stage. His message resonated powerfully on social media, where clips of his homily sparked debates about faith, warfare and political leadership.
