"God Rejects Prayers of Leaders Who Start Wars W/Hands Full of Blood"{Trump}
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Pope Leo XIV said last Sunday that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have “hands full of blood.”
Speaking to tens of thousands who congregated in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Palm Sunday, the pope called the conflict “atrocious” and said Jesus can’t be used to justify any wars, stating, “This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war… [Jesus] does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: Your hands are full of blood.'”
The pope’s comments were interpreted throughout the international press as targeting President Donald Trump, who started an illegal war in Iran on February 28. The war has killed thousands of Iranian civilians, injured many more, and resulted in the deaths of at least 13 U.S. soldiers.
Trump is expected to make comments to the U.S. public about the war tonight. It’s unclear whether he will declare victory (once again) and then pledge to end the largely unpopular assault or whether he will commit U.S. ground forces to forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway whose closure has led to rising gas and food prices in the U.S. and abroad.
By Daniel Villarreal is a longtime, award-winning journalist and editor who has written for NBC News, Newsweek, Vox, Slate, Vice News, The Seattle Stranger, The Dallas Voice and numerous other LGBTQ+ publications. He has spoken at SXSW, Creating Change, Netroots Nation, GaymerX, and is a graduate of GLAAD's Voices of Color program and of the Poynter Institute's 2024 Power of Diverse Voices seminar. He is also the founder of QueerBomb Dallas, an annual non-corporate Pride event; CinéWilde, the nation's longest running monthly LGBTQ film series. He is available for interviews and educational talks.
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