Pope Leo Urges U.S. And Iran To Return To Peace Talks After Africa Visit
Pope Leo urged U.S. and Iran to resume negotiations and condemned capital punishment as a fragile ceasefire since April 8 faces strain over the Strait of Hormuz shutdown.
NBC NewsPope Leo vents about failure to end Iran war: 'Many innocent people have died'
PBS NewsHourPope urges U.S. and Iran to resume peace talks, condemns capital punishment
ABC NewsPope urges US and Iran to return to peace talks, condemns capital punishment
CNNPope Leo condemns Iran’s killing of protesters but says he cannot support war | CNN
Washington TimesPope urges U.S., Iran to restart peace talks, condemns capital punishment
Overview
On the papal plane after an 11-day pastoral visit to Africa, Pope Leo urged the United States and Iran to return to negotiations and condemned capital punishment.
His plea comes as a fragile ceasefire since April 8 was being tested by a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carries up to 20% of the world’s oil and was effectively shut down in early March.
President Donald Trump attacked the pope on Truth Social and insisted the U.S. has "total control" of the Strait, while Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that Iran’s state institutions remain unified.
Leo began the Africa tour on April 13, visiting Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, presiding over a Mass in Cameroon attended by more than 100,000 and ending with a Mass for thousands in Malabo.
He called for a new "culture of peace," urged wealthy countries to address the root causes of migration, and has a next foreign visit to Spain scheduled from June 6 to 12.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the pope as a pastoral diplomat urging peace and human-rights restraint, using selective emphasis and mild evaluative language. They highlight his condemnations (capital punishment, mistreatment of migrants), emphasize evocative details (photo of a killed boy, “extravagant luxury”) and use terms like “tame” and “choreographed” to shape perception.