Pope condemns ‘delusion of omnipotence’ fueling Iran war at peace vigil

At his vigil for peace on Saturday, Pope Leo called out the “illusion of omnipotence” that he claimed was fueling war.

“In prayer, our limited human possibilities are united with God’s infinite possibilities. Thoughts, words and actions then break the demonic cycle of evil and are placed at the service of the Kingdom of God,” he said at a prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica.

He continued, “A Kingdom where there is no sword, no drone, no revenge, no trivialization of evil, no ill-gotten gain, only honor, understanding and forgiveness. Here we find a bulwark against that illusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and becomes increasingly unpredictable and aggressive.”

In his dispatches at X and during the prayer vigil, the pope warned that war “divides” humanity while hope and faith unite.

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“Enough of worshiping yourself and money. Enough of show of force. Enough of war,” he wrote. “True power is shown in the service of life.”

Among those in the pews was Belgian Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, Archbishop of Tehran.

Leo’s remarks came the same day Vice President J.D. Vance and a U.S. delegation began face-to-face talks with Iran amid an uneasy ceasefire.

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These were some of the strongest words yet from the American pastor, who called President Donald Trump’s threat against Iran on Tuesday “truly unacceptable.”

“Today, as we all know, there is a threat to the entire Iranian people, and this is truly unacceptable,” the Pope said earlier this week. he said. “There are certainly issues of international law here, but more importantly there is a moral issue for the good of the entire population.”

Pope Leo XIV speaks to the media about the US-Israeli conflict with Iran as he leaves the papal residence to return to the Vatican in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, on April 7. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)

Trump wrote on Truth Social: “An entire civilization will die tonight and never be brought back. I don’t want it to happen, but it probably will… God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

In another post, hours later, the president wrote that he was declaring a two-week ceasefire conditional on Iran agreeing to a “FULL, IMMEDIATE and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.”

After high-stakes talks began in Islamabad on Saturday, Trump told reporters outside the White House: “We won no matter what. Maybe they’ll make a deal, maybe they won’t.”

Islamabad will host peace talks between Iran and the United States on Saturday. (Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images)

For more than a month, the pope limited his remarks to quiet calls for peace, but in his Easter blessing last Sunday he called for “let those who are armed lay down their weapons. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace.”

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Leo also referenced Pope Francis’ last words to the world from the same balcony a year ago, in which the late pope warned against the “globalization of indifference.”

Quoting Francis, Leo said, “What a great deal of death and thirst for killing we witness every day in many conflicts in different parts of the world.”

Jasmine Baehr of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.