Pope Leo XIV on Sunday said that God “does not listen to the prayers” of individuals who start wars, as the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran continues
“Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” the first American pope, citing a Bible passage, told congregants in St. Peter’s Square, according to The Associated Press.
“He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them,” he added. The pontiff’s remarks came on Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week that culminates in Easter.
It is also not the first time he has criticized the war in Iran, which began on Feb. 28. On March 1, the day after the U.S. and Israel began striking Iran, he wrote on the social platform X, “Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering, and death, but only through reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue.”
Since the conflict began, at least 1,551 civilians in Iran, including at least 236 children, have been killed as of Saturday, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
At least 1,208 Iranian military personnel and 702 “unclassified” individuals have also been killed, HRANA added. Seven U.S. service members have also been killed by Iranian retaliation, while six troops died when a refueling aircraft crashed over Iraq on March 12.
The Lebanese Health Ministry also said Friday that Israeli attacks have killed 1,142 people, while civilians in Israel, Iraq and Kuwait have also been killed in the fighting. Also on Sunday morning, the Pope expressed solidarity with Christians in the Middle East, as Iran’s retaliation after the initial wave of U.S.-Israeli strikes engulfed the region in war.
There are more than 12.9 million Christians in the Middle East as of 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.
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