Pope Leo escalates call for ceasefire in Iran by addressing those responsible for the war [View all]
Source: Chicago Tribune/ Associated Press
ROME — Pope Leo XIV demanded a ceasefire in the Middle East on Sunday in his strongest comments to date, directly addressing the leaders who launched the war in Iran.
“On behalf of the Christians of the Middle East and all women and men of good will, I appeal to those responsible for this conflict,” Leo said. “Cease fire so that avenues for dialogue may be reopened. Violence can never lead to the justice, stability, and peace that the people are waiting for.”
Leo didn’t cite the United States or Israel by name in his comments at the end of his Sunday noon blessing. But history’s first U.S. pope mentioned the attacks that targeted a school, an apparent reference to the missile strike on an elementary school in Iran in the opening days of the war that killed over 165 people, many of them children.
U.S. officials have said outdated intelligence likely led to the United States launching the strike, and that an investigation is ongoing.
Read more: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/15/pope-leo-ceasefire-iran/
Nicole Winfield | Associated Press
PUBLISHED: March 15, 2026 at 9:50 AM CDT
I'm not Catholic, but Pope Leo speaks for me here.
Good day, everyone. ❤️
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