Pope Leo XIV, yesterday, rejected claims that God justified war, as he prayed especially for Christians in the Middle East during a Palm Sunday Mass in St Peter’s Square.

With the U.S.-Israeli-Iran war entering its second month, and Russia’s campaign in Ukraine, Leo dedicated his Palm Sunday homily to his insistence that God is the “King of Peace” who rejects violence and comforts those who are oppressed.

“Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, 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, especially Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, had invoked their Christian faith to cast the war as a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might.
Russia’s Orthodox Church, too, has justified Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “holy war” against a Western world it considers has fallen into evil.

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

LEO spoke asChristians across the globe observed Palm Sunday.’In Nigeria, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has appealed to political leaders to take urgent action to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians.

The association lamented that across Nigeria, many were feeling the weight of the times, with the cost of living rising and daily and life getting harder for countless families.

CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, who made the call in a message to commemorate Palm Sunday in Abuja, noted that events far beyond the borders, especially tension involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, were unsettling global energy markets.

According to Okoh, the lesson of Palm Sunday matters for leadership, adding that true leadership is not always loud but is seen in restraint, empathy, and a steady focus on the common good.

The CAN President noted that for the Church and all people of faith, Palm Sunday is also a call to responsibility as it reminds the faithful of a rare moment when people from all walks of life came together with one purpose: to welcome the Messiah in hope, humility, and expectation.

“That same spirit is needed now. We must stand for peace. We must strengthen unity. We must support one another. In a season that can easily tilt towards tension, we must remain a steady source of light and hope. And to every Nigerian, especially the young and those feeling the strain most deeply, do not lose hope.

The challenges are real, but they are not the end of the story,” he said.