Last Sunday, billions of people around the world observed Easter, a holiday that celebrates Christ’s resurrection. John 20:21 records the risen Jesus’ first words as “Peace be with you.” Under the shadow of war and troubling division, three very different American leaders shared their perspectives on the day.

Pope Leo XIV, the Chicago-born bishop of Rome, used his inaugural Easter homily to petition for harmony.

“On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination, and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars and marked by a hatred and indifference that make us feel powerless in the face of evil,” the pope said from St. Peter’s Square. “Let those who have weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace. Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue. Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them.”

The pontiff’s message built on comments he made on Palm Sunday when he declared that God rejects the prayers of those who wage war and whose “hands are full of blood.”

While Pope Leo has described military service as a boon to society when done with “sacrifice, courage, and dedication,” he has also called for an end to the aerial bombing campaigns that have wrought devastation on cities around the world: Rotterdam, London, Gaza, Hiroshima, Dresden, Tehran, Hargeisa, Baghdad, and countless other places that have seen precious lives indiscriminately lost.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, whose war of choice in Iran has entered its sixth week, issued his own holiday message.

First, he referred to the rescue of an American pilot shot down over Iran as an Easter miracle in a text to Meet the Press host and Philadelphia native Kristen Welker. Later, in a profane post on social media, he admonished the leadership of Iran, whom he referred to as “crazy bastards.” Trump said that if the Iranians refuse to reopen the pivotal Strait of Hormuz, they would be living in hell.

In the same post, the president threatened to destroy Iranian power plants and bridges, even as experts say attacking the country’s infrastructure would constitute a war crime. For ironic measure, Trump added, “Praise be to Allah.”

It is hard to avoid connecting Pope Leo’s comments to the president’s actions, despite the lack of direct mention of either Trump or his bellicose secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth. After all, who has more power to unleash wars than the men who vowed to send Iran back to the Stone Age.

Those looking for a more hopeful Easter message found unexpected solace in space.

The Artemis II launched on Wednesday and is traveling around the moon this week. In an interview with CBS News, pilot Victor Glover said that traversing the desolation of our solar system reminded him that we all live “on a spaceship called Earth, that was created to give us a place to live in the universe,” and “you are special. In all of this emptiness — this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe — you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist [in], together.”

Glover’s message of unity — as someone who can literally look out his window and see the Earth as one place rather than hundreds of countries populated by billions of people who speak thousands of languages and practice thousands of faiths — was remarkable for its optimism.

It is words like those of Glover and Pope Leo, which seek to inspire and honor the best of human nature, that can frustrate the hate and violence of war — and can lead the way to a more peaceful and prosperous future for us all.

_____

©2026 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Visit at inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.