During his weekly Angelus prayer at the Vatican on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV issued a call for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, urging leaders to reopen dialogue to end escalating violence.
The Pope appealed “in the name of the Christians of the Middle East and of all women and men of goodwill” for the war to stop.
“Violence can never lead to the justice, the stability and the peace that peoples are awaiting,” he said, according to Vatican News.
The pontiff noted that communities across the region have endured two weeks of intense conflict, with thousands of civilians killed and many more displaced. He expressed solidarity with families who lost loved ones in attacks that have hit schools, hospitals and residential areas.
Pope Leo XIV also voiced particular concern over the situation in Lebanon, calling for renewed dialogue to help the country’s authorities implement “lasting solutions” to address the ongoing crisis and to benefit the “common good” of the Lebanese people.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Sunday contrasted the “evil” Iranian regime’s targeting of civilians with Israel’s selective targeting of military sites. He spoke during a tour with international media of the Arab Israeli town of Zarzir, which was struck by an Iranian missile on Friday, injuring close to 60 people.
