Pope Leo XIV condemns U.S.-Israel war with Iran, calls for peace

Pope Leo XIV condemns war as he meets Chaldean bishops

Pope Leo XIV on Friday amplified his condemnation of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, telling Chaldean Catholic bishops meeting in Rome that “God does not bless any conflict.” The pope made the remarks during a gathering of top bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq, an Eastern Rite Catholic church whose clerics are in Rome to elect a new patriarch.

In his address, Leo said the comments were signs of hope “in a world marked by senseless and inhuman violence,” especially in the lands of early Christianity that he said have been “desecrated by the blasphemy of war and the brutality of business, with no regard for people’s lives.” He also told the bishops that no cause can justify the spilling of innocent blood.

The Vatican posted the pope’s key line on his official @Pontifex handle on X, underscoring the message’s prominence as Leo continued his public criticism of the conflict.

“Whoever is a disciple of Christ” should not back bombings, pope says

Leo urged the bishops to make the pope’s position public and direct, saying they should “to proclaim clearly that God does not bless any conflict.” He added that the bishops should also “cry out to the world that whoever is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, never stands on the side of those who yesterday wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”

In remarks framed as both spiritual and political, the pope said leaders have used religion to justify their actions in the war. He cited that U.S. officials — and particularly Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — have invoked Christian faith to justify the conflict and cast the United States as a Christian nation.

Pope has escalated criticism of the Trump administration since Palm Sunday

The pope said he had issued muted appeals for peace and dialogue during the first weeks of the conflict, but that he began stepping up his criticism of the Trump administration starting on Palm Sunday. He has previously said, according to the reporting, that God does not listen to the prayers of those who make war.

This week, Leo said President Donald Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilization was “truly unacceptable” and called for dialogue to prevail.

The Vatican has also signaled concern about the spillover of Israel’s war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, particularly for Christian communities in the south, the report said. Leo is expected to continue emphasizing that broader regional conflict alongside his message on the immediate war.

Special vigil for peace set for Saturday at St. Peter’s Basilica

Leo said that on Saturday he will preside over a special vigil prayer for peace at St. Peter’s Basilica. The report said the vigil was organized before the announcement of high-level talks between the United States and Iran, expected to start Saturday in Pakistan.

The pope’s sharp rhetoric has arrived alongside indications that both the Holy See and the U.S. government are trying to damp down suggestions of frayed relations. Those suggestions were fueled by a news report of an allegedly contentious meeting in January between the Pentagon and the Vatican’s outgoing ambassador to Washington, Cardinal Christophe Pierre.

Vatican denies reports of an acrimonious Pentagon meeting

The Jan. 22 meeting took place before the war but after Leo, who is described as Chicago-born, delivered a strong but veiled criticism of U.S. military intervention in a major foreign policy address to diplomats accredited to the Holy See.

In a rare official comment on a media report, the Vatican said Pierre’s attendance at the Pentagon meeting was part of his “regular duties and provided an opportunity to exchange views on matters of mutual interest.” The Vatican said the suggestion that the meeting was acrimonious “does not correspond to the truth in any way,” according to the report.

The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See then quickly thanked the Vatican for its statement.

Chaldean bishops also face leadership transition and Vatican counsel

The Chaldean Catholic Church, described as representing more than a million Aramaic-speaking Christians primarily from Iraq, is electing a new patriarch after Cardinal Louis Sako, 76, announced retirement. The report said Leo announced Sako’s retirement on March 11, the same day he accepted the resignation of a U.S.-based Chaldean bishop, Emanuel Shaleta.

Shaleta, the report said, had pleaded not guilty a day earlier to 16 felony counts alleging he embezzled $270,000 from his California parish.

In Friday’s remarks to the Chaldean bishops, Leo thanked Sako for his “ significant contributions ” but said it was a time for “spiritual renewal,” including newfound adherence to faith, preservation of tradition, and observation of obedience and chastity. The pope also urged the bishops “to be attentive and transparent in the administration of goods,” and to use mass media in a sober, measured and responsible way.

He further urged prudent public statements, saying that “every word and action may contribute to building up — and not to harming — ecclesial communion and the church’s witness,” according to the report.