Vatican city: Pope Leo XIV on Sunday warned that no one can use Jesus to justify war, saying he rejects violence and those who wage it. ‘Jesus is the King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,’ the pope said during his Palm Sunday Mass at St. Peter’s Square.

According to Anadolu Agency, the pope emphasized that Jesus ‘does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.’ In his address, Pope Leo XIV called for disarmament and unity among people, urging, ‘Lay down your weapons! Remember that you are brothers and sisters!’

The pope also took a moment to pray for victims of violence, seeking divine intervention and hope for a peaceful future. ‘Holy Mary, woman of the third day, grant us the certainty that, in spite of all, death will no longer hold sway over us; that the injustices of peoples are numbered; that the flashes of war are fading into the twilight; that the sufferings of the poor are breathing their last,’ he stated during the service.