As missiles rain down across the Middle East, the Catholic Church is calling the faithful—and the world—to prayer, peace, and moral clarity.
The conflict between Israel and Iran, now entering its fourth day, has already claimed hundreds of lives, devastated cities, and ignited fears of a full-scale regional war. In a world darkened by escalating retaliation, the Church is reminding humanity of a deeper truth: lasting peace can only be built through “justice, fraternity, and the common good,” as Pope Leo XIV declared from St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday.
On June 13, Israel launched a surprise strike targeting Iran’s nuclear sites and senior military leadership. The attack reportedly killed Mohammad Kazemi, the intelligence chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, according to IRNA, Iran’s state news agency. Israel’s initial strike prompted what Iran called a justified retaliation. On Monday, Iranian missiles struck the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Petah Tikva, killing at least four people and injuring dozens more, according to Israel’s emergency medical service Magen David Adom.
Iranian state television claimed at least 100 missiles were fired in the latest barrage, some of which targeted critical infrastructure, including a power plant in Haifa. Fires lit up the sky in both Tehran and Haifa, and emergency crews continue search and rescue efforts in both countries.
Yet in the midst of chaos, the Church continues to speak the language of peace.
Pope Leo XIV, addressing pilgrims at the Jubilee of Sport, issued a solemn plea: “The situation in Iran and Israel has seriously deteriorated… I wish to strongly renew an appeal to responsibility and reason.” The Pope emphasized that “no one should ever threaten another’s existence,” and reiterated the Church’s enduring call for nuclear disarmament: “Our commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue.”
International diplomacy remains strained. According to Reuters, Iran has told Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Oman it will not consider a ceasefire while under Israeli attack, but it is open to nuclear negotiations if Israel stands down. Meanwhile, Gulf leaders spent the weekend engaging with Washington and Tehran to avoid what is now the most intense confrontation between the two nations in decades.
President Donald Trump told reporters before the G7 summit in Canada, “I hope there’s going to be a deal. I think it’s time for a deal. Sometimes they have to fight it out.” Trump also reportedly vetoed an Israeli plan to target Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Reuters, though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied the report, saying only, “We do what we need to do.”
Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, urged a renewed diplomatic effort: “The further proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, as well as this escalation of violence, imperils the fragile stability remaining in the region,” he said in a statement on Monday.
The death toll continues to rise. Israeli authorities reported 14 deaths, including children, in earlier Iranian strikes. Iran’s health ministry said at least 224 Iranians—90% of them civilians—have died since Israel’s initial attack.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres echoed the Church’s moral concern on X: “Israeli bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites. Iranian missile strikes in Tel Aviv. Enough escalation. Time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail.”
As the world watches the flames of war intensify, Pope Leo XIV’s words call us back to the Gospel’s path of peace: “It is the duty of all countries to initiate paths of reconciliation… to build lasting peace and security in the region.”
The Holy Father’s voice—and the Church’s witness—offers not geopolitical strategy, but moral urgency. In an age armed to the teeth, the question remains: Will the world listen?
