During his Palm Sunday homily, Pope Leo XIV preached, “Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, 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, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood’ (Is 1:15).”
Asked by a reporter about the Pope’s words, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded:
I think our nation was a nation founded 250 years ago, almost, on Judeo-Christian values, and we’ve seen presidents, we’ve seen the leaders of the Department of War and we’ve seen our troops go to prayer during the most turbulent times in our nation’s history, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with our military leaders or with the president calling on the American people to pray for our service members in those who are serving our country overseas.
In fact, I think it’s a noble thing to do, and if you talk to many service members, they’ll tell you they appreciate the prayers and support from the Commander in Chief and from his Cabinet.