Pope Leo calls Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilization ‘truly unacceptable’

Pope Leo XIV on April 7 sharply condemned President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy an entire civilization as “truly unacceptable,” warning that the war’s escalation poses a moral threat to humanity’s well-being. 

Speaking to ‌journalists in Italian ⁠outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, the Holy Father echoed “what I have already said — particularly on Easter Sunday — in the Urbi et Orbi message. As we all know, a threat has been leveled against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable.”

Trump said in a Truth Social post hours earlier that a “whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if the Iranian regime fails to meet his 8 p.m. ET deadline for a deal, as Zeale News reported. He also told reporters on April 6 that the “entire country could be taken out” the next day and said the U.S. was prepared to carry out a four-hour operation that would culminate in the destruction of Iran’s bridges and power plants by midnight.

Pope Leo told journalists, “While questions of international law are certainly at play here, this is, above all, a moral issue concerning the well-being of the entire population. I would like to invite everyone to reflect -deeply and sincerely- upon the plight of so many innocent people: so many children, so many elderly individuals, all completely innocent, who would themselves become victims of this escalating conflict, a war that has already been underway since its very first days.” 

The Holy Father also reminded that “we have been saying: let us return to dialogue, to negotiations. Let us seek ways to resolve problems without reaching this critical juncture; yet, here we are. We must pray fervently. I would like to invite everyone not only to pray but also to seek ways to communicate — perhaps with members of Congress or with government authorities — to declare that we do not want war; we want peace.”

Switching to English to reinforce his message, the Holy Father pointed back to his Easter Sunday Urbi et Orbi message, in which he made an impassioned call for global leaders to choose peace over violence.

“I would simply say once again what I said in the Orbi message on Sunday, asking all people of goodwill to search always for peace and not violence, to reject war, especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate and which is not resolving anything,” Pope Leo told the journalists. “In fact, we have a worldwide economic crisis, energy crisis, situation in the Middle East of great instability which is only provoking more hatred throughout the world.” 

He then called directly for de-escalation, emphasizing the human toll any escalation would inflict, especially on the most vulnerable.

“So come back to the table, let's talk,” he said, “let's look for solutions in a peaceful way and let's remember especially the innocent: children, the elderly, sick, so many people who have already become or will become victims of this continued warfare and to remind all that attacks on civilian infrastructure are against international law, but that it is also a sign of the hatred, the division, the destruction the human being is capable of, and we all want to work for peace.” 

As Zeale News previously reported, Trump has in recent days threatened to strike Iranian bridges, power plants, and desalination facilities – targets that include civilian infrastructure and would likely violate international humanitarian law, which generally prohibits direct attacks on civilian objects unless they are being used for military purposes. 

The Pope also urged people around the world to speak out in favor of peace. 

“People want peace,” Pope Leo concluded. “I would invite the citizens of all the countries involved to contact the authorities, political leaders, congressmen to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war always.”

Since the war began on Feb. 28, Pope Leo has repeatedly called for an end to the violence, and several other Church leaders have joined him in appeals for a ceasefire. On April 7, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops President Archbishop Paul Coakley also denounced Trump’s latest threat to Iran, saying that it “cannot be morally justified.” 

“There are other ways to resolve conflict between peoples,” Archbishop Coakley wrote, as Zeale News reported. “I call on President Trump to step back from the precipice of war and negotiate a just settlement for the sake of peace and before more lives are lost.”

>> US Bishops Conference president calls Trump’s threat to destroy ‘a whole civilization’ immoral <<