An extraordinarily outspoken and pointed comment by Pope Leo in his Palm Sunday sermon yesterday, as he reflected on the revelation of Jesus as the King of Peace, even as violence loomed around Him.
Repeating the phrase ‘King of Peace’ several times, the Pope drew attention to moments during his Passion when Jesus’ desire to bring peace came to the fore – when one of His disciples struck the high priest’s servant and cut of his ear, and Jesus commanded the disciple to put his sword away, or when he was put to death on the cross, how he didn’t arm or defend himself but allowed himself to be led ‘like a lamb to the slaughter’.
“He revealed the gentle face of God, who always rejects violence,” Pope Leo said. “Rather than saving Himself, He allowed Himself to be nailed to the cross, embracing every cross borne in every time and place throughout human history.”
The Pope then went on to recall the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood” (Isa 1:15). “Jesus is the King of Peace”, he said, “who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”
Given the extent of war in our world at the moment, it was the association in the public mind of certain wars with particularly individuals, that made this such a pointed comment.
Read the story in Vatican News here. See the Pope’s Palm Sunday sermon in full on YouTube here.
The story was picked up by this morning’s Guardian, under the headline, Pope seems to rebuke Hegseth in remarks about leaders with ‘hands full of blood’.
The Guardian was clear that the Pope’s comment was an “apparent rebuke to the Trump administration”. But they found an even uglier association, to an apparently Christian worship service for military and civilian workers in Washington, in which Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a prayer: “Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy” – words that find no home in a faith based on Jesus, the ‘King of Peace’.
As the Guardian reminded us, the Pope has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in the Iranian conflict, and in his Palm Sunday sermon recognised that some Christians in the Middle East may not be able to celebrate Easter this year because of it.
Read the Guardian story here.