Pope Leo XIV’s First Easter Urbi et Orbi Urges Those Who ‘Have the Power to Unleash Wars’ to Choose Peace Amid U.S.–Israeli Iran War
In his first Easter Urbi et Orbi, Pope Leo XIV urged “Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace,” stressing that Christ’s risen power is nonviolent, condemning the idolatry of profit and abuses that crush the weak, and calling for peace through dialogue rather than force. He deliberately did not name individual conflicts despite the ongoing U.S.–Israeli military confrontation with Iran and Russia’s campaign in Ukraine, announced an April 11 prayer vigil, revived traditional Holy Week rituals, and saw his Easter ceremonies affected by Israeli security restrictions that limited attendance at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Western Wall and led to top Christian leaders being blocked from Palm Sunday services.
📌 Key Facts
- Pope Leo XIV delivered his first Easter Mass homily and Urbi et Orbi from an open‑air altar in St. Peter’s Square decorated with white roses and spring perennials.
- In the Urbi et Orbi and homily he urged, “Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace,” calling for peace through dialogue rather than force and stressing that “the power with which Christ rose is entirely nonviolent” and seeks the common good.
- He condemned “the idolatry of profit that plunders the earth’s resources” and “abuses that crush the weakest among us,” describing these as forms of death alongside the “violence of war that kills and destroys.”
- Leo XIV consciously omitted naming specific countries or conflicts in the Easter message—departing from the Christmas formula—even as his remarks came nearly 40 days into the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran and against the backdrop of Russia’s campaign in Ukraine.
- From the loggia he announced a prayer vigil for peace to be held April 11 in St. Peter’s Basilica, greeted the faithful in 10 languages (reviving a lapsed practice), and during Holy Week restored more traditional rituals such as washing priests’ feet and personally carrying the wooden cross through all 14 stations.
- In Jerusalem and elsewhere Israeli security restrictions sharply limited attendance at Easter ceremonies (including at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Western Wall priestly blessing); police recently blocked two top Christian leaders, including Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from celebrating Palm Sunday, and the curbs also dampened Ramadan, Eid al‑Fitr and Passover observances.
- Media coverage framed Leo’s timing and language against U.S. political developments: MS NOW timed the remarks to the ongoing U.S.–Israeli war with Iran and linked them to President Trump’s profanity‑laced Easter threat to bomb Iranian infrastructure; reports include a White House press secretary defending Trump, military leaders urging prayers for U.S. troops, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asking Americans to pray for victory “in the name of Jesus Christ,” and Trump adviser Paula White‑Cain likening Trump to Jesus at an April 1 White House Easter lunch.
📊 Relevant Data
Women represent 12 percent of army personnel, 15 percent of the air force, and 14 percent of the navy in global averages, but face significant barriers to integration in special operations forces, with representation often much lower due to issues like gender discrimination and pregnancy-related policies.
Three takeaways on women in defence — United Nations
Black households in the US face an average energy burden of 5.1% of their income on energy costs, compared to 3.2% for White households, a disparity of about 64%, with Black Americans comprising 13.6% of the population.
Black families are the hardest hit by high energy costs — UPI.com
A majority of Americans (56%) oppose U.S. military action in Iran, with opposition reaching 93% among Democrats and lower support among Republicans, in polls conducted in March 2026.
Poll finds three-quarters of Americans oppose boots on ground in Iran — CatholicVote
Historical U.S.-Iran conflicts have resulted in over 900 American deaths linked to Iran or its proxies since 1983, including 241 Marines in the 1983 Beirut bombing.
History of the US-Iran Conflict | Timeline, Deaths & Oil Data — DaveManuel.com
Middle East wars, such as the current U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, have led to surges in global oil prices, increasing fiscal burdens on oil-dependent countries and households through higher energy costs.
The true price of the Iran war for oil, people and the environment — Global Witness
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- This article quotes Pope Leo’s Easter Urbi et Orbi line directed at 'those who have the power to unleash wars' and expands on his call for peace 'not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue.'
- It tightly time-stamps his remarks as coming nearly 40 days into the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran and explicitly frames them against President Trump’s profanity-laced Easter threat to bomb Iranian power plants and bridges if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
- The piece recounts that in a Palm Sunday homily Pope Leo said God 'does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,' and includes the White House press secretary’s response defending Trump and military leaders calling on Americans to pray for U.S. troops.
- It adds context that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked Americans to pray for victory 'in the name of Jesus Christ,' and that Trump spiritual adviser Paula White‑Cain likened Trump to Jesus Christ at an April 1 White House Easter lunch, explicitly tying attempts on his life and indictments to Christ’s suffering.
- Leo XIV used his first Easter Urbi et Orbi to explicitly urge, "Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace!" while calling for peace through dialogue rather than force.
- He consciously departed from tradition by not listing individual conflicts or countries by name in the Urbi et Orbi, despite the ongoing U.S.–Israeli war on Iran and Russia’s campaign in Ukraine, after having followed the traditional formula at Christmas.
- From the loggia, he announced a specific prayer vigil for peace to be held April 11 in St. Peter’s Basilica.
- Leo greeted the global faithful in 10 languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Latin, reviving a practice that Pope Francis had let lapse.
- During Holy Week he restored more traditional rituals, including washing priests’ feet on Holy Thursday and personally carrying the wooden cross through all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross.
- Details that the remarks come in Pope Leo XIV’s first Easter Mass homily as pontiff, delivered from an open‑air altar in St. Peter’s Square decorated with white roses and spring perennials.
- Direct quotations from the homily stressing that ‘the power with which Christ rose is entirely nonviolent’ and that it ‘does not seek private interests, but the common good; it does not seek to impose its own plan.’
- Specific language condemning ‘the idolatry of profit that plunders the earth’s resources’ and ‘abuses that crush the weakest among us’ as forms of ‘death’ alongside ‘the violence of war that kills and destroys.’
- Description of Israeli security restrictions sharply limiting attendance at Easter ceremonies at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and at the Western Wall priestly blessing due to ongoing missile attacks, and note that these curbs have also dampened Ramadan, Eid al‑Fitr, and Passover observances.
- Report that Israeli police recently blocked two top Christian leaders, including Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from celebrating Palm Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, straining relations with church authorities.