Vatican City: Amid escalating violence in the Middle East, Pope Leo XIV has made a fervent appeal for peace, warning that war deepens suffering and fails to offer lasting solutions. Speaking during his Angelus address, the Pope decried the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel and called upon world leaders to act with moral courage and urgency.
“Disturbing reports continue to emerge from the Middle East, especially from Iran,” the Holy Father said solemnly, referencing the recent U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and the subsequent retaliatory actions between Tehran and Tel Aviv.
In his address, Pope Leo drew attention to the enduring anguish in Israel, Palestine, and particularly Gaza, where civilian suffering persists amid an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis. “In this painful context,” he said, “the cries of innocent people risk being drowned out by the noise of missiles and military rhetoric. But more than ever, humanity is crying out for peace.”
The Pope emphasized that this global outcry must not be silenced by the thunder of war or hijacked by inflammatory language that fuels division. “The plea for peace demands clarity, conscience, and courage,” he said. “It is a call that cannot be ignored.”
Urging every nation to shoulder its ethical responsibility, Pope Leo warned that failing to halt the spiral of violence could lead to consequences too severe to reverse. “Each day of war drives us closer to an abyss that may become impossible to escape,” he cautioned. “When human dignity is trampled, no war is truly far away.”
Challenging the illusion that force can create justice, Pope Leo reflected on the enduring trauma inflicted by armed conflict. “War solves nothing,” he declared. “It magnifies every problem and leaves behind wounds that scar generations. No battlefield success can ease a mother’s grief, calm a frightened child, or return a stolen future.”
Concluding his message, the Pope expressed his heartfelt desire for the end of armed aggression and the rebirth of diplomacy. “Let the clamor of war give way to the voice of peace. Let nations shape their future not with violence and vengeance, but with wisdom, cooperation, and reconciliation.”
Pope Leo XIV’s words arrive at a critical juncture in global affairs, as the Middle East teeters on the edge of broader chaos. His appeal stands as a powerful moral call for the world to choose healing over hostility, and unity over destruction.