Pope Leo XIV has renewed his plea for an immediate ceasefire, calling the death and suffering caused by the war in the Middle East a “scandal to the whole human family”.
During his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Leo said he continues to follow the situation in the Middle East and in other regions torn apart by war and violence with “dismay”.
“We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many people, the defenceless victims of these conflicts,” Leo said as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran enters its fourth week.
“What hurts them hurts the whole of humanity.
“I strongly renew my appeal for us to persevere in prayer, so that hostilities may cease and the way may finally be paved for peace.”
Leo, who is known for speaking diplomatically, has been ramping up calls for an end to the Iran war in recent days.
On Wednesday, the Vatican’s top diplomat had called on U.S. President Donald Trump to end the expanding Iran war as soon as possible and suggested Israel should also stop its strikes against Lebanon.
“I would say to finish it as soon as possible … and to leave Lebanon alone,” Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a senior advisor to Pope Leo, said in an unusually direct appeal.
“This message goes also to the Israelis,” he added, speaking to journalists at an event at the Italian parliament.
Vatican diplomats do not usually make direct appeals for action by foreign leaders, preferring to work behind the scenes. Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State since 2013, is known for speaking in muted tones and seeking to avoid the spotlight.
Parolin said on Wednesday he was worried that the conflict would continue to escalate and called on Trump and other world leaders “to resolve problems … through the peaceful ways of diplomacy and dialogue”.