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Woe Unto Them

This poem is a fierce denunciation of a world in which religion and the name of God are manipulated for power, greed, and domination. Inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s severe condemnation of war through the words “Woe unto them,” the poem exposes the reality in which the sacred is violated for political, military, and economic gain. It questions the madness and arrogance of those who justify violence and oppression in the name of God, while warning of the danger of a world that has lost the language of truth. Beyond faith itself, the poem speaks to human ethics and conscience.

 

“Woe Unto Them”

“Woe unto them who manipulate religion and even the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political interests, dragging the sacred into darkness and filth.”
- On April 15, during his journey across Africa, Pope Leo XIV delivered in Cameroon what was said to be his harshest condemnation of war.

 

Woe unto them-

What powerful words of fury these are.
What fierce words
admonishing the faithful.

“I am not afraid,”
he says directly to his adversaries.

 

Woe unto them-

Driven by greed,
they speak of the destruction of civilization.

They drag religion into politics
and pray for divine protection.

They wage economic wars,
threaten through military force,
and proclaim themselves righteous.

Can God forgive
such madness steeped in deception?

 

Woe unto them-

In the name of God,
they calmly carry out annihilation.

They offer prayers,
calling devastation the work of God.

They crush so-called unbelievers
with armies imagined as crusaders.

They brandish the threat of nuclear attack
to gain advantage in negotiation.

God foretells
the miserable outcome
of wars without justice.

 

Woe unto them-

The world trembles
before violent insults
and incoherent words.

Madness invites
the path toward assassination,
yet flees from the assassin’s bullet.

Without shame,
they utter words opposed to dialogue
and contrary to peace.

This is only the beginning.

Those who have lost reverence for God
must atone for their sins.

Those who blaspheme God
and make themselves into gods
must one day behold hell.

 

O you who manipulate God
to satisfy your desires-

O you who drag the sacred
into darkness and filth-

If words that speak truth are lost,
this world will become ever more cruel.

Woe unto them.

 

Written on April 27, 2026.
Even to someone without religious faith like myself, the Pope’s words struck with overwhelming force.

 

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