Pope Demands Ceasefire After Deadly Strike on Iranian School
Pope Leo XIV urged leaders to halt fighting after a strike killed more than 165 at a school in Iran; U.S. officials said intelligence may have been outdated and an investigation is underway.
New York PostPope Leo urges war leaders to halt fighting in Iran after deadly strike on school sparks outrage
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FOX NewsPope Leo urges war leaders to halt fighting after deadly strike on school sparks outrage
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Overview
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged those responsible for the Iran war to cease fire and reopen avenues for dialogue, speaking during his Sunday noon blessing at the Vatican.
The pope’s remarks followed a strike that hit a school in Iran and killed more than 165 people, many of them children, amid about two weeks of the U.S.-Israeli campaign.
U.S. officials said the school strike may have been based on outdated intelligence and an investigation is underway, while Cardinal Robert McElroy and Cardinal Blase Cupich criticized the war and U.S. messaging.
The Vatican highlighted the carnage of the Minab strike, running a March 6 aerial photo of a mass grave, and aid groups warned fighting in Lebanon could trigger a humanitarian crisis.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the Holy See continues to keep lines of communication open with all sides as calls for dialogue grow.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story primarily as a humanitarian moral appeal: they emphasize vivid images (mass grave, carnage), highlight the pope's strongest ceasefire language while noting his reticence to name actors, and contrast indirect papal diplomacy with more pointed comments from cardinals, prioritizing victims and moral urgency over geopolitical analysis.
FAQ
The strike on the Shajareh Tayyiba school in Minab was caused by outdated intelligence about a nearby IRGC facility and naval base, leading to a Tomahawk missile hitting the school instead.
Iranian state media reported at least 175 people killed, including 168 children and 14 teachers.
Pope Leo XIV urged those responsible for the Iran war to cease fire and reopen avenues for dialogue during his Sunday noon blessing at the Vatican.
A US military investigation is ongoing, with preliminary findings indicating the strike was accidental due to outdated intelligence; the White House confirmed it is still underway.
Over 1,300 deaths in Iran, at least 570 in Lebanon, 15 in Israel, and additional casualties in Gulf states; dozens of US troops wounded by Iranian drones in Kuwait.
