Pope uses Palm Sunday Mass to reject claims that God justifies war – National

Pope Leo

As the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran enters its second month and Russia’s campaign in Ukraine continues, Leo dedicated his Palm Sunday sermon to emphasizing that God is the “King of Peace” who rejects violence and comforts the oppressed.

“Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war and 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, particularly Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have invoked their Christian faith to portray the war as a Christian nation seeking to defeat its enemies with military might.

Russia’s Orthodox Church has also justified the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a “holy war” against a Western world that it believes has descended into evil.

Palm Sunday marks Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem before his crucifixion, which Christians celebrate on Good Friday, and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

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

Earlier on Sunday, the Latin Patriarchate said Jerusalem police prevented the top leadership of the Catholic Church from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It is the first time in centuries that church leaders have been prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday at the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, the patriarchate said.

Israeli police said Catholic leaders’ request for access to the church was rejected because all holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City were closed to worshipers for security reasons. A police statement said religious freedom would continue to be protected “subject to necessary restrictions.”

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

A Holy Week commemorating the suffering of Pope Francis

The beginning of Holy Week this year brings back memories for many people in the Vatican of the last days of suffering of Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday.

As Holy Week began last year, Francis was still recovering in the Vatican after spending five weeks in the hospital for double pneumonia. He had delegated the liturgical celebrations to others, but gathered on Easter Sunday to greet the faithful from the loggia of St. Peter’s Square. What was most moving was that he then made his final popemobile lap around the piazza.

Francis died the next morning after suffering a stroke. His orderly, Massimiliano Strappetti, later told Vatican media that Francis told him for the final greeting: “Thank you for taking me back to the square.”

Leo will preside over this week’s liturgical events, returning to tradition with the foot washing ceremony on Maundy Thursday, which commemorates Jesus’ last supper with his disciples.

During his 12-year pontificate, Francis celebrated the ritual of Maundy Thursday by traveling to prisons and refugee centers in the Rome area to wash the feet of people on the margins of society. His goal was to drive home the ritual’s message of service and humility, and during his Maundy Thursday sermons he often mused, “Why them and not me?”

Francis’ gesture was praised as tangible evidence of his belief that the church must go to the periphery to find those who most need God’s love and mercy. But some critics were outraged by the annual trips, especially since Francis also washed the feet of Muslims and people of other faiths.

Leo restores the tradition of washing feet during Holy Week

Leo, the first U.S.-born pope in history, is bringing the Maundy Thursday foot-washing tradition back to the Lateran Basilica, where popes practiced it for decades. The Vatican has not yet said who will attend, although Popes Benedict XVI. and John Paul II usually washed the feet of twelve priests.

On Friday, Leo is scheduled to lead the Good Friday procession at the Colosseum in Rome, which commemorates the passion and crucifixion of Christ. The Easter Vigil takes place late in the evening on Saturday, during which Leo will baptize new Catholics. A few hours later comes 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.

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