Pope Leo again decries Iran war: ‘We cannot remain silent’

After his weekly Angelus address in St. Pater’s Square March 22, Pope Leo XIV again spoke up against the ongoing joint Israeli-U.S. war against Iran, calling for worldwide prayers for peace talks to recommence and decrying violence against innocent victims.

“With dismay I continue to follow the situation in the Middle East, which like other regions of the world is torn apart by war and violence,” the Holy Father said. “We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many defenseless people who are victims of these conflicts.”

The Pope’s comments came partway through a 48-hour timeline set by President Donald Trump Saturday night, when he threatened he would order strikes on Iranian power plants unless Iran commits to allowing oil to pass through the Hormuz Strait, a vital waterway through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply normally ships.

"If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social Post Saturday evening, “the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!"

Iran has indicated it has no intention of complying with Trump’s demand. Military spokesman Ebrahim Zalfaqari responded in a Sunday statement that if “Iran's fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked by the enemy,” Iran will target all U.S. and Israeli “infrastructure of energy, information technology, and desalination facilities” in the region, according to Business Insider.

In addition, Iranian strikes on Israeli sites near a key nuclear research center Saturday reportedly left as many as 150 wounded. “It was the first time Israel's nuclear research center has been targeted in the war that began three weeks ago,” CBS reported.

“The strikes came hours after Iran's Natanz nuclear enrichment facility was hit in an airstrike, for which Israel's military has denied responsibility,” the outlet noted. “Israel's military said it was not able to intercept the Iranian missiles that hit the cities of Dimona and Arad, the largest near the center of Israel's sparsely populated Negev desert.”

Meanwhile, Israeli officials have continued an onslaught of attacks on alleged Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, where over 1 million people – about 20% of the nation’s population – have displaced by Israel’s offensive.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated over the weekend that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have ordered the IDF … to accelerate the destruction of Lebanese homes in the border villages in order to thwart threats to the Israeli settlements,” noting that Israel’s designs on Lebanon are “in accordance with the Beit Hanoun and Rafah model in Gaza.”

 Pope Leo, who has repeatedly decried the war since U.S. and Israeli forces first struck Iran Feb. 28, argued Sunday that all people should put themselves in a position of solidarity with victims of the conflict. “What hurts them hurts all of humanity,” he said. “The death and pain caused by these wars is a scandal for the entire human family and a cry that rises to God!”

“I strongly renew my appeal to persevere in prayer,” he concluded, “so that hostilities may cease and paths to peace may finally open up, based on sincere dialogue and respect for the dignity of every human person.”

Vatican News, the Holy See’s news portal, reported on “the rising death toll in the Middle East” just after the Holy Father’s appeal. 

“More than 1,000 people are believed to have been killed in Lebanon, at least 160 people have been injured in Iranian missile strikes in Israeli towns early Sunday morning, and in the Gulf, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have reported a number of drones and missiles in their airspace,” the outlet noted. “In Iran, the death toll is reported around 1,444 and more than 18,000 injured.”