Pope Leo XIV told Catholic believers during a weekly event on Wednesday that he welcomed the news of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran with “hope,” advising the nations to abandon plans for “revenge” and embrace a path to long-term peace.
The Bishop of Rome made his remarks during a General Audience, which occurs every Wednesday, at the Vatican. Pope Leo has on several occasions since his recent ascent to the leadership of the Church addressed the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, as well as other conflicts such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These were his latest comments on military operations by Israel and America against Iran since his remarks on Sunday, also calling for peace.
“I continue to follow developments in Iran, Israel, and Palestine with concern and hope,” the pope wrote in a summary of his remarks shared to social media. “The words of the prophet Isaiah resound with urgent relevance: ‘Nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more.’”
“May this voice, which comes from the Most High, be heard! Let us reject arrogance and revenge, and instead resolutely choose the path of dialogue, diplomacy, and #Peace,” he concluded.
The pope prayed for healing from “the lacerations caused by the bloody actions of recent days” in addition to emphasizing the importance of diplomacy.
Vatican News reported that the pope centered his General Audience comments on embracing hope through Jesus Christ, stating that Jesus could defeat despair and death.
“In life there are moments of disappointment and discouragement, and there is also the experience of death,” the pope shared. “Let us go to Jesus: He can heal us, He can revive us. Jesus is our hope!”
“Not only does He heal from every illness, but He also awakens from death,” Pope Leo continued. “For God, who is Eternal Life, death of the body is like sleep. True death is that of the soul: of this we must be afraid!”
Tensions in the Middle East remained high for much of the year as the administration of President Donald Trump held several rounds of unsuccessful peace talks with Iran in pursuit of curtailing its illicit nuclear weapons program. The Iranian Islamist regime regularly calls for “death to America” and “death to Israel” and has been engaging in nuclear research for decades. While Iranian officials deny that they are seeking to construct a nuclear weapon, their uranium enrichment volume went far beyond what is necessary for any known civilian use, alarming Washington and Jerusalem. Iranian negotiators aggressively rejected any attempts to impose uranium enrichment limits in the talks with the Trump team.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a United Nations body, passed a resolution on June 12 condemning Iran for violating international law on nuclear development. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi accused Iran of maintaining secret enrichment sites and trying to “sanitize” them to hide them from U.N. inspectors. Hours later, Israel launched a military operation to protect itself from any future attempted nuclear attack, eliminating several Iranian nuclear scientists and top armed forces leaders. The attacks also targeted Iranian missile depots and missile launchers in an attempt to prevent targeted attacks on Israeli cities. Iran did launch multiple missiles at population centers in Israel following the initial Israeli strikes, killing dozens.
The United States joined the operation on Saturday, conducting airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. President Trump referred to the strikes as a “spectacular military success” and has repeatedly stated that he is not pursuing any prolonged American military action against Iran.
Pope Leo referred to the American strikes as “alarming news” on Sunday, demanding all actors in the conflict seek a path toward peace.
“Today more than ever, humanity cries out and pleads for peace,” he stated, urging leaders “to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss.”
“In this dramatic scenario, which includes Israel and Palestine, the daily suffering of the population — especially in Gaza and other territories — risks being forgotten, even as the urgency for proper humanitarian support becomes ever more pressing,” the pope asserted. “There are no distant conflicts when human dignity is at stake. War does not solve problems — on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of nations that take generations to heal.”
On Monday, President Trump announced that Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire.
“CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,” Trump wrote on his website Truth Social.
“This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will!” the president wrote. “God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!”
After a final violation by Iran on Monday, the ceasefire has apparently held as of Wednesday afternoon Washington time.
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