The Dalai Lama joins Pope Leo in call for peace: “I urge for and pray that the violence and conflicts may soon come to an end”

Pope Leo XIV used his first Palm Sunday Mass sermon to call for peace as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine continues and with a new conflict ongoing in the Middle East which erupted last month when Israel and the United States attacked Iran. “Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” the pontiff told the tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Leaders on all sides of the Iran conflict have used scripture to justify their actions, as well the Russian Orthodox Church to defend the invasion of Ukraine. Without mentioning names, Pope Leo appeared to directly rebuke Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, when he said: “[God] does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”

The ultra-conservative Christian has brought his religious zeal to the Pentagon, leading monthly Christian worship services. He led a prayer last week in which he asked God to “let every round find its mark” and to give U.S. soldiers “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”

Dalai Lama joins Pope Leo in call for peace

On Tuesday, the Dalai Lama “wholeheartedly” endorsed Pope Leo XIV in his “powerful” appeal for peace made during his Palm Sunday Mass. “His call for the laying down of arms and the renunciation of violence resonated profoundly with me, as it speaks to the very essence of what all major religions teach.”

The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists pointed out that no matter which world’s great spiritual traditions one looks to “”Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism” or any other, “the message is fundamentally the same: love, compassion, tolerance, and self-discipline.”

“Violence finds no true home in any of these teachings,” he added. “History has shown us time and again that violence only begets more violence and is never a lasting foundation for peace.”

The Dalai Lama called on leaders in all conflicts to sit down and hammer out their problems with words and empathy, not weapons. “An enduring resolution to conflict, including the ones we see in the Middle East or between Russia and Ukraine, must be rooted in dialogue, diplomacy and mutual respect — approached with the understanding that, at the deepest level, we are all brothers and sisters,” he said.

“I urge for and pray that the violence and conflicts may soon come to an end,” the Dalai Lama concluded.

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