Pope Leo XIV said the following during his apostolic journey to Cameroon in April 2026: “Jesus told us, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’ but woe to those who manipulate religion in the very name of God for their own military, economic, or political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.
It was probably in response to a comment Secretary Hegseth made. On April 13th, Secretary Hegseth was attempting to quote Ezekiel and seemed to quote a mistaken version from a Pulp Fiction film.
Pope Leo also called out “The masters of war” during the remarks in Cameroon on Thursday.
“The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often, a lifetime is often not enough to rebuild. They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing, on devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education, and restoration are nowhere to be found,” the pope said.
🚨 JUST NOW: Pope Leo drops this line in Cameroon
“Jesus told us, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’ but woe to those who manipulate religion in the very name of God for their own military, economic, or political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.” pic.twitter.com/cGx1Uoyhu2
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 16, 2026
The Pope became more political after speaking with David Axelrod as the November midterms approach.
Trump makes a Suggestion for Pope Leo
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that it is “very important that the Pope understands” that “Iran killed 42,000 people that were totally unarmed, they were protesters.”
President Trump said, “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.” If Iran did possess such a weapon, every nation in the world, including Italy, “would be in trouble.” [Their ballistic missiles can reach Italy.]
“But the pope has to understand, Iran, very simple, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. The world would be in great danger,” he declared.
@Pontifex @POTUS @realDonaldTrump
Female protesters in Iran are being gang-raped before they are executed. pic.twitter.com/069qseSBCj— Joni Job (@jj_talking) April 16, 2026
They should also mention the 425,000 missing immigrant children under the Biden administration.