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‘This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace,’ Pope Leo preaches at Palm Sunday Mass
March 29, 2026
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square this morning (booklet, video) and emphasized in his homily that Jesus is the King of Peace.
The Pontiff celebrated the Mass in Italian and Latin.
“As Jesus walks the Way of the Cross, we place ourselves behind him, following in his footsteps,” Pope Leo began. “As we walk with him, we contemplate his passion for the sake of humanity, his broken heart, and his life as a gift of love. We turn our gaze to Jesus, who reveals himself as King of Peace, even as war looms abounds him.”
After reflecting on the different ways in which Jesus manifested Himself as King of Peace in His Passion, Pope Leo 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).
As we set our gaze upon him who was crucified for us, we can see a crucified humanity. In his wounds, we see the hurts of so many women and men today. In his last cry to the Father, we hear the weeping of those who are crushed, who have no hope, who are sick and who are alone. Above all, we hear the painful groans of all those who are oppressed by violence and are victims of war.
Christ, King of Peace, cries out again from his cross: God is love! Have mercy! Lay down your weapons! Remember that you are brothers and sisters!
The Pontiff concluded his homily with a Marian prayer written by an Italian bishop, Venerable Antonio Bello (1935-1993): “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. And grant, finally, that the tears of all the victims of violence and pain will soon be dried up like frost beneath the spring sun.”
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