Easter speech: “Shameless blasphemy” – Cardinal Marx sharply assaults US Secretary of War Hegseth | EUROtoday

Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx has sharply criticized the misuse of faith to justify violence and warfare. It is a “shameless blasphemy” for US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to hope that each bullet within the Iran warfare hits its goal, the archbishop mentioned in his homily on Easter Sunday.

The similar applies to the assertion of Kirill I, the Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow, who described the warfare of aggression launched by Russia in opposition to Ukraine as a “holy war”.

Pope Leo XIV had already reminded that God shouldn’t be used to justify warfare. It is “a God who rejects war, who no one can use to justify war,” mentioned the American-born pontiff in his sermon final Palm Sunday. May God stand for peace; he doesn’t reply the prayer of those that wage warfare.

Cardinal Marx referred to as on the trustworthy at Easter to not be discouraged of their dedication to peace, solidarity and a simply society. People ought to maintain on to the hope for a greater world – particularly given the present political scenario. “Easter underlines very clearly that the hope for a better world is not a naive dream, because it is about a realistic hope,” mentioned the Archbishop of Munich and Freising in his Easter message.

Marx sees parallels at present to the time of Jesus, who was rejected by these in energy as unworldly. Even at present it’s typically claimed that the world is primarily characterised by energy pursuits, violence and competitors. The cardinal countered this with the Christian message that referred to as for hope and lively motion for a extra simply society. The historical past of humanity shouldn’t be advised as a narrative of victors and vanquished. It can also be concerning the nice energy of individuals to create peace. This is carefully associated to the Easter occasion.