‘God does not bless any conflict’: pope issues new rebuke over Iran war
The Guardian • • world
Key Points:
- Pope Leo XIV condemned war and criticized the use of Christian nationalism to justify military actions, implicitly targeting the Trump administration's rhetoric around the US and Israel's conflict with Iran.
- The pope emphasized that true peace arises from coexistence and dialogue, not military force, and denounced the violence in the Middle East as profaning sacred places and causing innocent suffering.
- US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth framed the conflict in religious terms, likening military events to Christian symbolism, while President Trump claimed divine support for US actions against Iran.
- Leo called threats of mass destruction, such as Trump's warning about the strait of Hormuz, "truly unacceptable" and reiterated that invoking Jesus to justify war is wrong.
- The pope has consistently opposed the violence since US and Israeli strikes began in February, highlighting that no cause justifies the shedding of innocent blood or the loss of vulnerable lives.
