Pope Leo XIV has blasted the US and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran, warning that peace is not achieved with weapons and suffering.
“I am following with deep concern what is happening in the Middle East and in Iran during this tumultuous time. Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering, and death, but only through reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue,” American-born Pope Leo XIV wrote Sunday.
“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions, I make a heartfelt appeal to all the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm. May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld. And let us continue to pray for peace,” he continued.
“In these days, troubling news has also arrived of clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I urgently appeal for a return to dialogue. Let us #PrayTogether that harmony may prevail in all conflicts throughout the world. Only peace, a gift of God, can heal the wounds between peoples,” the pope concluded.
At least three US service members have been killed in the military operation, and Iranian authorities say more than 200 people have been killed as Iran trades strikes with Israel after vowing revenge for the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
