Pope seems to rebuke Trump in remarks about leaders with ‘hands full of blood’

Pope Leo made unusually pointed remarks suggesting God ignores prayers from leaders engaged in warfare with "hands full of blood," in an apparent rebuke of the Trump administration's military posture. The pontiff's comments came days after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offered a prayer calling for violence against enemies "who deserve no mercy." The timing coincided with thousands of U.S. troops deploying to the Middle East, raising the profile of the administration's military operations. The Pope's language represents a rare direct critique of a sitting U.S. president's foreign policy from the Vatican, signaling tension between the Catholic Church's doctrine on war and the current administration's approach to military engagement.