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 United States expressed confidence that peace talks with Iran would go ahead in Pakistan and a senior Iranian official said Tehran was considering joining, but significant hurdles and uncertainty remained as the end of a ceasefire loomed.
Ships were largely avoiding the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after an escalation at the weekend in which Iran fired what appeared to be warning shots at vessels and the U.S. military seized an Iranian cargo ship.
In a characteristically combative post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump has pushed back against media narratives surrounding the conflict with Iran, while doubling down on his conviction that Tehran must never acquire a nuclear weapon and openly calling for regime change.
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