Pope Leo XIV

Trump added that Pope Leo "should be thankful," as the only reason he had been elected to the Vatican was "because he was an American" who would be able to "deal with President Donald J. Trump."

The Pope will visit Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea on a tour that will cover 11 cities and towns, spanning nearly 18,000 km (11,185 miles) across 18 flights.

As Passover begins, a rabbinic voice challenges the Pope’s remarks on war, arguing that Jewish ethics demand moral clarity and the obligation of self-defense.

The Jerusalem Post's must-listen news roundup with Shifra Jacobs—the top stories, clear and concise.

"This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war," Pope Leo, the first US pope, told crowds.

As the pope urges restraint and condemns war, Israelis facing daily threats question whether such moral clarity reflects the realities on the ground.

Dayan and the Pope discussed potential collaborations between the Vatican and Yad Vashem regarding Holocaust commemoration, documentation, and education.

Pope Leo also addressed the situation in Lebanon, ravaged by a war between Israel and the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, which was also a cause of "great concern."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family was a "cynical" murder.

Before sprinkling ashes on the heads of participants, a sign of mortality, the pope said the ashes could represent "the weight of a world that is ablaze, of entire cities destroyed by war."