As tensions continue to rise across the Middle East, Pope Leo XIV has renewed his urgent call for peace, warning of the devastating consequences of escalating violence and urging world leaders to choose dialogue over destruction.
Speaking to approximately 15,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square during the Sunday Angelus, the Holy Father expressed deep concern over the growing conflict centered around Iran and its wider regional impact. According to Vatican News, the Pope said that “news continues to arrive that causes deep dismay,” as reports of violence and instability continue to emerge from the region.
Pope Leo described the current situation as one marked by widespread suffering, pointing to the growing devastation affecting civilians. He warned of the “violence and devastation” and the “widespread climate of hatred and fear” spreading throughout Iran and surrounding areas, according to Vatican News.
The Holy Father also voiced concern that the conflict could destabilize neighboring countries already facing fragile political conditions. In particular, he mentioned Lebanon, expressing fear that the nation could once again “sink into instability,” according to Vatican News.
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In response to the worsening situation, Pope Leo called on the faithful around the world to pray for an end to the violence. He urged believers to ask God that “the roar of bombs might cease, that weapons might fall silent, and that a space for dialogue might open, in which the voice of the peoples may be heard,” according to Vatican News.
The Pope entrusted his prayer for peace to the Blessed Virgin Mary, invoking her title as Queen of Peace. He asked that she “intercede for those who suffer because of war” and help guide hearts toward “paths of reconciliation and hope,” according to Vatican News.
Pope Leo has repeatedly warned about the dangers of escalating hostilities in the region. In remarks made the previous week, he emphasized that peace cannot be built through threats or military force. “Stability and peace are not built with mutual threats, nor with weapons, which sow destruction, pain, and death, but only through a reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue,” he said, according to Vatican News.
The Pope cautioned that the world could face a humanitarian catastrophe if the violence continues to spiral out of control. Addressing those involved in the conflict, he issued a direct appeal for moral responsibility.
“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions,” he said, “I address to the parties involved a heartfelt appeal to assume the moral responsibility to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” according to Vatican News.
Emphasizing the Church’s consistent call for peace, Pope Leo urged nations to return to diplomacy and work toward solutions that protect human life and dignity. “May diplomacy recover its role and may the good of peoples be promoted, peoples who long for peaceful coexistence founded on justice,” he said, according to Vatican News.
As the conflict continues to unfold, the Holy Father encouraged Catholics everywhere to persist in prayer for peace, asking God to guide leaders and nations toward reconciliation rather than further destruction.
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