Pope Leo XIV offered an instructive message for President Donald Trump over his Iran war on Friday.
The first American-born pontiff, selected last year to succeed the late Pope Francis, doubled down on his anti-war stance ahead of high-stakes U.S.-Iran talks, which are set to take place in Pakistan on Saturday.
The president and other top officials have made religious statements and suggested the U.S. is fighting a holy war. Trump told reporters last week he believes God supports the United States actions in Iran.
“God does not bless any conflict,” the pontiff began his X post, avoiding mentioning Trump by name. “Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”
“Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples,” he went on.
In a follow-up post, Leo said “no gain can be worth the life of the weakest, children, or families,” adding that “No cause can justify the shedding of innocent blood.”
“Absurd and inhuman violence is spreading ferociously through the sacred places of the Christian East, profaned by the blasphemy of war and the brutality of business, with no regard for people’s lives, which are considered at most collateral damage of self-interest,” the pontiff wrote.
Thousands of people have so far been killed across the Middle East in the conflict, which began when the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
The critical messaging comes shortly after the 70-year-old Chicago-native denounced Trump’s threat this week to destroy “a whole civilization,” calling the president’s rhetoric “truly unacceptable.”
After Trump warned this week that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran refused to reopen Strait of Hormuz within 12 hours, Leo said the conflict was “unjust” and said Trump’s threats were “truly unacceptable.”
“People want peace,” the pontiff said. “I would invite the citizens of all the countries involved to contact the authorities, political leaders, congressmen to ask them tell them to work for peace and to reject war always.”
The president later U-turned on his threat and proposed a two-week ceasefire deal with Iran, although both sides seem to be in disagreement about what’s actually in the ceasefire. Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is a key part of the deal, but the critical shipping route remains effectively shuttered.
The Vatican, meanwhile, on Friday denied reporting this week that one of Trump’s Pentagon goons summoned Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s top diplomat to the U.S., and berated him over Leo’s criticism of Trump’s warmongering—essentially telling him to get the pontiff in line.
“The account regarding this meeting does not correspond to the truth in any way,” the Vatican said in a statement.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
