Pope Leo XIV bashes Trump’s war on Iran as he calls it a ‘scandal’ to humanity

As thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square to recite the Angelus with Pope Leo XIV. Speaking from the Vatican, the pope addressed the ongoing crisis in the Middle East

Pople Leo XIV addressed the situation in the Middle East after his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.

Thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square to recite the Angelus with Pope Leo XIV. Speaking from the Vatican, the pope addressed the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. He said the death and suffering has created a ‘scandal to the whole human family,’ while renewing his plea for an immediate ceasefire.

“We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many people, the defenseless victims of these conflicts. What hurts them hurts the whole of humanity,” Leo said at his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.

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Pope Leo warned that the pain, death, and suffering brought about by these wars “are a scandal to the entire human family and a cry before God.” He then encouraged everyone to persevere in their prayer so that “hostilities may cease and paths of peace, based on sincere dialogue and respect for the dignity of every human being, may finally open.”

He added: “I strongly renew my appeal for us to persevere in prayer, so that hostilities may cease and the way may finally be paved for peace,” the pope added.

As the Pope made this appeal, reports on the rising death toll in the Middle East continue to emerge, as violence enters its 23rd day. More than 1,000 people are believed to have been killed in Lebanon, at least 160 people have been injured in Iraninan 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. In Iran, the death toll is reported around 1,444 and more than 18,000 injured.

Israel’s military said Iran has fired more than 400 ballistic missiles at the country since the start of the war, with around 92 percent of them intercepted. Meanwhile, Iran has continued to strike its Gulf neighbors, with Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry saying three ballistic missiles were detected around the capital yesterday.

It comes as the UK Ministry of Defence slammed Iran’s “reckless attacks” after the UK-US base at Diego Garcia was targeted by two intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs). The base was not hit as one missile failed in flight, while the other was intercepted by a US warship, the officials said. However, the strike marked Iran’s first operational use of IRBMs in an attempt to threaten US interests far beyond the Middle East.

The US President Donald Trump also criticised the UK once more for a “very late response” when it was revealed that the US would now be allowed to use British bases to strike Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz. Reacting to the UK Government’s move, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said it was “putting British lives in danger”.

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