Pope Leo XIV said Christian leaders who bear responsibility for armed conflicts should examine their consciences and seek confession.
"Do those Christians who bear serious responsibility in armed conflicts have the humility and courage to make a serious examination of conscience and to go to confession?" Leo said during a speech on Friday.
The pope did not name any specific conflict or individual, but he has repeatedly appealed for peace in Iran and the Middle East, describing the situation as "deeply disturbing." In January, Leo lamented that "war is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading."
The recent comments come as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has framed the United States' military intervention as supported by God. Some Christian leaders were recently seen praying over President Donald Trump in the Oval Office during the Iran war.
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Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are Catholics.
Prominent figures in the U.S. Catholic Church have also spoken out against the Iran war. Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago described a video posted on the White House's X account about the war as "sickening."
Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington, D.C., said the US-Israeli strikes are "not morally legitimate" as they don't meet the criteria in Catholic teaching for a just war.
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