Pope Leo XIV issued a call for peace, expressing his concern over the recent military attacks by the United States on nuclear facilities in Iran.
The words of the leader of the Catholic Church come at a critical moment of tension in the Middle East, framed within a conflict involving not only Iran and the U.S., but also Israel and Palestine.
“Alarming news is coming from the Middle East, especially from Iran,” said the Holy Father at the beginning of his Sunday address.
The American bombings, carried out in coordination with Israel, mark a turning point after decades of fragile containment between Washington and Tehran. In this context, Pope Leo XIV warned about the devastating effects of prolonged violence and indifference towards human suffering.
“Today more than ever, humanity cries out and invokes peace,” he stated, emphasizing that this plea “is a cry that demands responsibility and reason, and should not be stifled by the noise of weapons or by rhetorical words that incite conflict.”
In addition to addressing the situation in Iran, the Pope firmly mentioned the humanitarian crises in Gaza and other affected regions, urging that the daily suffering of the civilian population not be forgotten.
Call for diplomacy and international moral action
Faced with this scenario, the Pontiff directly appealed to the collective conscience of global leaders:
“Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility: to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss.”
He also recalled that human dignity must prevail, even in seemingly distant confrontational scenarios. He emphasized that the effects of war are long-lasting and that its aftermath affects entire generations.
“War does not solve problems; on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds in the history of peoples, which take generations to heal.”
In one of the most emotional moments of his message, the Pope spoke about the suffering of the innocent:
“No armed victory can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, and the stolen future.”
Let diplomacy silence the weapons
Pope Leo XIV closed his message with a strong exhortation to dialogue and an end to violence:
“May diplomacy silence the weapons, may nations shape their future with acts of peace, not with violence and bloody conflicts.”
His words, full of urgency and humanity, resonate like an echo of hope in the face of a situation that threatens to spiral out of control. Once again, the Holy See positions itself as a moral voice in times of global crisis.