'War does not solve problems': Pope calls for peace after 'alarming' escalation in Middle East

Writing on X, the Pope said: "Alarming news continues to emerge from the Middle East, especially from Iran." 

He said the need for "adequate humanitarian aid" in the Middle East is becoming "increasingly urgent" and "risks being forgotten" as the conflict continues to escalate.

"Today more than ever, humanity cries out and calls for peace."

The US President Donald Trump said last night that the US had dropped bombs on three nuclear sites in Iran, an escalation that directly involves the US in the conflict between Iran and Israel.

Pope Leo said calls for peace "must not be drowned out" by the attacks or "rhetoric that incites conflict."

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He said: "Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility" to stop the war.

"There are no “distant” conflicts when human dignity is at stake," he added.

The Pope then called for diplomacy between the warring nations, saying: "May diplomacy silence the weapons!"

The Pope has previously called for "lasting" peace in the world's war zones.

In his first Sunday address on 11 May, he spoke of the need for lasting ceasefires in Ukraine, Gaza and Kashmir.

“Now we’re facing the tragedy of a third world war in pieces," he said at the time, "I would like to address the powerful people of the world, repeating the always-current call: ‘no more war’.”

Pope Leo is seen as a reformer, and shares some of the progressive views his predecessor, Pope Francis, was known for.