Pope Leo made an impassioned plea on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in the expanding Iran war, lamenting "atrocious violence" that he said had killed thousands of non-combatants and caused suffering across the region.
Pope Leo XIV speaks during the weekly general audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 11, 2026. Reuters/Yara Nardi
Pope Leo made an impassioned plea on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in the expanding Iran war, lamenting "atrocious violence" that he said had killed thousands of non-combatants and caused suffering across the region.
As the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran enters its third week, the first U.S. pope warned that violence would not bring the justice, stability and peace that the peoples of the region long for.
"For two weeks, the peoples of the Middle East have been suffering the atrocious violence of war," the pope said at his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square.
"In the name of Christians in the Middle East and of all women and men of good will, I appeal to those responsible for this conflict: Cease fire!" Pope Leo said.
"Thousands of innocent people have been killed, and many more have been forced to leave their homes. I renew my closeness to all those who have lost their loved ones in the attacks," he said.
Leo added that the situation in Lebanon -- ravaged by a war between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah -- was also a cause of "great concern".
"I hope for paths of dialogue that can support the country's authorities in implementing lasting solutions to the serious crisis currently underway, for the common good of all the Lebanese people," the pope said.
The Pope refuses to call out Iran's atrocious regime or Hezbollah's terrorism - the forces that ignited the new conflict with Israel. Leo's silence speaks volumes - and it speaks in perfect Vatican.
Reporting by Angelo Amante
The Israeli military revealed Sunday that Ayman Mohammad Ghazali, the man who carried out a deadly attack on a Detroit-area synagogue, was the brother of a Hezbollah anti-tank missile unit commander eliminated by an Israeli airstrike just days earlier.
Israel's foreign minister on Sunday denied reports that Israel could soon hold direct talks with Lebanon and rejected claims it had told the United States it was running low on interceptors.
Iran's military announced Sunday it had conducted drone strikes targeting key Israeli security installations - including the elite Lahav 433 unit and a satellite communications center - according to an official communiqué relayed by state news agency IRNA.
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