White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday responded to recent comments from Pope Leo XIV suggesting God closes His ears to leaders who wage war, and addressed the U.S. response to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem being shut out of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday.

During a press briefing at the White House that focused heavily on the lingering war in Iran, Leavitt was asked to respond to the pope, who claimed during his homily in Rome on Sunday that Jesus Christ is the "King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war."

"He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them," he continued, quoting Isaiah 1:15, when the prophet rebuked ancient Judah for its violence: "Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood."

The pope has frequently called for an immediate ceasefire, dialogue and humanitarian aid since the outbreak of the war, describing it earlier this month as a "scandal to the whole human family."

Leavitt deflected from repudiating the pope's comments directly, but noted that prayer has featured prominently throughout the history of the United States, especially during wartime.

"Our nation was a nation founded 250 years ago, almost, on Judeo-Christian values," she said. "And we've seen presidents, we've seen the leaders of the Department of War, and we've seen our troops go to prayer during the most turbulent times in our nation's history."

"I don’t think there's anything wrong with our military leaders or with the president calling on the American people to pray for our service members and those who are serving our country overseas. In fact, I think it's a very noble thing to do," she added.

REPORTER: "Pope Leo said yesterday, and I quote him, 'God does not listen to the prayer of those who waged war.' Can you comment on that?"

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Last week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth prompted criticism for invoking the imprecatory psalms against the enemies of the U.S.

During the first monthly prayer service at the Pentagon since the outbreak of the war, Hegseth read from a prayer by a U.S. military chaplain that asked God to give U.S. military forces "wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy."

"Preserve their lives, sharpen their resolve and let justice be executed swiftly and without remorse, that evil may be driven back and wicked souls delivered to the eternal damnation prepared for them," continued the prayer, which Hegseth said had been written for the U.S. Navy task force that captured and extradited former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.

During another point in the Monday press briefing, Leavitt also touched briefly on the international diplomatic incident that erupted when Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa was prohibited by Israeli police forces from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday, as recounted by a statement from The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

When Pizzaballa, whose Roman Catholic archdiocese also covers the Palestinian territories, was barred from the traditional site of the Resurrection for safety reasons, he performed a brief Palm Sunday mass instead on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus wept over Jerusalem for its unfaithfulness during the Triumphal Entry.

After drawing sharp rebuke from the Vatican and other Western leaders, including U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized for the incident, assuring there was no "malicious intent" while promising Christians they would have access to their holy sites in Jerusalem during Holy Week.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also called Pizzaballa to express his "great sorrow" over the incident.

Leavitt said she spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is a practicing Roman Catholic, about the incident earlier on Monday.

"We did express our concerns with Israel with respect to these holy sites being shut down," she said. "We want worshipers to be able to access these holy sites. Of course, safety is a top priority, but we understand Israel is working on those security measures to reopen the sites throughout Holy Week, and that's something that we're appreciative of."

The holy sites of all three Abrahamic religions in Jerusalem's Old City had been shuttered to worshipers since the outbreak of war with Iran, under directives from the Israeli Home Front Command, which serves as the military-civil authority responsible for civilian protection.

Iran has repeatedly targeted Jerusalem with ballistic missiles since the conflict began, with fragments landing meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in one strike. Another intercept sent shrapnel across all four quarters of the Old City, with debris landing on homes, a convent, the Dome of the Rock complex and the church compound itself.

Iranian missile attacks have killed at least 19 people in Israel.

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