Pope Leo XIV Denounces US-Israel War Against Iran
Addressing a prayer vigil at St. Peter's Basilica, the pontiff held nothing back: "Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!"
"True strength is shown in serving life," he added.
Without singling out any individual leader by name, Pope Leo took direct aim at those he accused of glorifying military power, referencing "some adults boast of with pride" — a pointed allusion to the human devastation wrought by the conflict. He also drew on the voices of the war's youngest victims to press his case.
"I receive countless letters from children in conflict zones … Let us listen to the voices of children!" he said.
His Saturday address built on earlier remarks in which he branded as "truly unacceptable" any statements warning that "a whole civilization will die" should the Strait of Hormuz remain closed — language widely seen as a rebuke of escalatory rhetoric from those involved in the conflict.
The pope pressed global leaders to pursue diplomacy without delay.
"We cry out to them: stop! It is the time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation," he said, cautioning against closed-door sessions "where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided."
War, Retaliation, and a Fragile Ceasefire
The United States and Israel launched a joint military offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, a campaign that has claimed more than 3,000 lives over the past several weeks — among the dead, then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — before Pakistan brokered a ceasefire earlier this week.
Tehran responded with waves of drone and missile strikes directed at Israel and extended its reach into Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf states hosting American military installations, while simultaneously choking off commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
In a bid to convert the ceasefire into a lasting settlement, Iranian and American delegations convened Saturday in the Pakistani capital Islamabad — but the talks ended without an agreement, leaving the conflict's resolution still dangerously uncertain.
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