Pope Leo: God Rejects Prayers of Leaders with “Hands Full of Blood”
Pope Leo on Sunday delivered unusually strong remarks, saying that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have “hands full of blood,” as the conflict in Iran entered its second month.
Speaking to tens of thousands in St. Peter’s Square on Palm Sunday—the celebration that marks the start of Holy Week leading up to Easter for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics—the pontiff described the war as “atrocious” and emphasized that Jesus cannot be used to justify violence.
“This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” Leo, the first US pope, told the crowd under bright sunshine.
He continued, citing a Bible passage: “(Jesus) does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.’”
At the conclusion of the Palm Sunday ceremony, the pope expressed sorrow for Christians in the Middle East, saying they “are suffering the consequences of an atrocious conflict” and may be unable to celebrate Easter.