Pope Leo XIV Decries 'Delusion of Omnipotence' in US-Israeli War on Iran
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- Pope Leo XIV denounced the 'delusion of omnipotence' fueling the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran during a Saturday evening prayer service in St. Peter's Basilica, declaring 'Enough of war!' and demanding leaders negotiate peace.
- The vigil coincided with U.S.-Iran face-to-face negotiations beginning in Pakistan and a fragile ceasefire holding, though Leo's prayer was planned before the talks were announced.
- Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, did not name Trump or the U.S. directly, but his message appeared aimed at officials — including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — who have justified the war in religious terms and boasted of U.S. military superiority.
- Earlier in the week, Leo called Trump's threat to 'annihilate Iranian civilization' 'truly unacceptable' and has said God does not bless any war or those who drop bombs.
- The Vatican is particularly concerned about the spillover of Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the plight of Christian communities in the south, and Leo warned that 'the holy Name of God… is being dragged into discourses of death.'
- Archbishop of Tehran Belgian Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu sat in the basilica pews; the U.S. was represented by deputy chief of mission Laura Hochla.
Why it matters: With U.S. and Iranian negotiators meeting in Pakistan and a fragile ceasefire in place, the most prominent U.S. religious figure on the global stage publicly repudiated the religious framing his own government — and Hegseth specifically — has used to justify the war, raising the diplomatic cost of invoking faith to defend the campaign.
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