Pope Leo XIV issued an impassioned call for an immediate ceasefire in the broader U.S.-Israel war against Iran, telling crowds at his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, March 15, that “the peoples of the Middle East have been suffering the atrocious violence of war” for two weeks. “In the name of Christians in the Middle East and of all women and men of goodwill: Cease the fire! Let paths of dialogue be opened!”
Speaking later at a Rome parish, Leo called the idea that war resolves problems “absurd,” and took direct aim at those invoking religion to justify killing. “Some even go so far as to invoke the name of God to justify these choices of death, but God cannot be enlisted by darkness.” He also expressed concern over Lebanon.
