Pope Leo XIV Urges Immediate Middle East Ceasefire After Deadly Iran School Strike
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday issued his strongest appeal yet for a ceasefire in the Middle East, calling on leaders involved in the conflict to halt hostilities and reopen channels for dialogue following a deadly attack on a school in Iran.
Speaking after his weekly Angelus prayer, the pontiff urged those responsible for the war to end the violence and pursue peace.
“On behalf of the Christians of the Middle East and all women and men of goodwill, I appeal to those responsible for this conflict: cease fire so that avenues for dialogue may be reopened,” he said. “Violence can never lead to the justice, stability and peace that the people are waiting for.”
Although the pope did not directly mention the United States or Israel, he appeared to reference the early-stage missile strike on an elementary school in Iran that reportedly killed more than 165 people, many of them children.
US officials have since acknowledged that outdated intelligence may have contributed to the attack, with an investigation currently underway.
The Vatican also highlighted the devastation caused by the strike in Minab, publishing an aerial image of a mass grave prepared for the young victims on the front page of its newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, under the headline “The Face of War.”
The pope expressed solidarity with families affected by attacks that have struck “schools, hospitals and residential centres,” and warned about the growing humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, where aid agencies say the war is worsening conditions for civilians.
The Vatican has shown particular concern for Christian communities in southern Lebanon, which have historically served as a stronghold for Christians in the predominantly Muslim region.
Since the outbreak of hostilities involving the United States and Israel, the pope had largely limited his remarks to calls for diplomacy and restraint, a stance seen as an effort to avoid appearing politically aligned against US President Donald Trump.
Even in his latest appeal, Pope Leo avoided naming specific countries, reflecting the Holy See’s tradition of diplomatic neutrality.
However, other senior Catholic leaders have taken a stronger stance. Robert McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, described the war as morally unjustifiable, while Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich criticised the White House’s use of video-game imagery in social media posts about the conflict.
Meanwhile, the Vatican’s secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, rejected Washington’s description of the war as a “preventive” action but reaffirmed that the Holy See remains committed to dialogue with all parties.
“The Holy See speaks with everyone,” Parolin said, adding that the Vatican continues to engage with American and Israeli officials to seek possible solutions to the crisis.
