Pope Leo XIV Intensifies Rebuke of U.S.-Israeli War With Iran
Pope Leo XIV denounced the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, urged peace, and will lead a vigil as talks between Washington and Tehran are set to begin in Pakistan.
Associated PressPope amplifies criticism of Iran war and says 'God does not bless any conflict'
Rolling StoneThe Pope on the War: 'God Does Not Bless Any Conflict'
Daily BeastPope Leo Schools Trump With a Holy Lesson
The AtlanticThe Iran War Showed a New Side of Pope Leo
Los Angeles TimesCommentary: Pope Leo's brave stance against Trump
Overview
Pope Leo XIV amplified his condemnation of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, saying 'God does not bless any conflict' and posting the message on the Vatican's @Pontifex account, the articles said.
His remarks follow coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 and come ahead of high-level talks between the U.S. and Iran expected to start Saturday in Pakistan, the reports said.
U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have invoked Christian faith to justify the conflict, and the Vatican and U.S. government denied a reported contentious January meeting involving Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the accounts said.
Thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East in the conflict, and the Chaldean Catholic Church represents more than a million Aramaic-speaking Christians, the articles reported.
Leo will preside over a special vigil for peace in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday, and one article said he reportedly canceled a planned U.S. visit this summer, the reports added.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a moral rebuke from the pope toward U.S. policy, using editorial verbs like amplified and stepped up to emphasize escalation, prioritizing tensions with the Trump administration (Pentagon‑Vatican meeting, Trump’s alleged threat) while treating papal quotations as source content rather than reporter opinion.