'Cease the fire!' Pope Leo calls for end to US-Israeli war with Iran
Mar 16, 2026
Rome [Italy], March 16: Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pope, issued an urgent call for a ceasefire in the US and Israeli war with Iran during prayers before tens of thousands gathered on St Peter's Square in Rome on Sunday.
"In the name of the Christians of the Middle East and of all women and men of goodwill: Cease the fire! Let paths of dialogue be reopened," the pontiff was quoted as saying by the Vatican's news website.
"Violence can never lead to the justice, the stability and the peace that peoples are awaiting," the pope said.
Source: Qatar Tribune
