"This is our God... A God who refuses war... who does not listen to the prayer of those who wage war," he said in his Palm Sunday homily.

Speaking after the Angelus prayer, he paid tribute to "the Christians of the Middle East, who suffer the consequences of a terrible conflict and in many cases cannot fully live the rites of these holy days".

Earlier this week, the pope called for a ceasefire in the Middle East war, saying more than a million people had been forced to flee their homes and urging the warring parties to hold talks.

Leo XIV, the first American pope, has repeatedly condemned the war and called for dialogue.

But the 70-year-old pontiff has been cautious in his statements since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran that started the war on February 28, refraining from naming any party in his condemnations and appeals for peace.