‘Stop the tragedy of war,’ Pope Leo pleads following US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites

June 22, 2025

Following strikes ordered by President Donald Trump on three Iranian nuclear sites, Pope Leo XIV appealed for diplomacy and said that “every member of the international community has a moral responsibility to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable chasm.”

The Pontiff also appealed to the international community not to forget the suffering of the people of Gaza.

“Alarming news continues to emerge from the Middle East, especially from Iran,” the Pope said on June 22, following his Angelus address to pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square. “Against this tragic backdrop, which includes Israel and Palestine, people’s daily suffering, especially in Gaza and the other territories, where the need for adequate humanitarian aid is becoming increasingly urgent, risks being forgotten.”

“Today more than ever, humanity cries out and calls for peace,” he continued. “This is a cry that requires responsibility and reason, and it must not be drowned out by the din of weapons or the rhetoric that incites conflict.”

Pope Leo added:

Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable chasm. There are no “distant” conflicts when human dignity is at stake.

War does not solve problems; on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of peoples, which take generations to heal. No armed victory can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, or stolen futures.

May diplomacy silence the weapons! May nations chart their futures with works of peace, not with violence and bloodstained conflicts!

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Angelus, Sunday, 22 June 2025 (Dicastery for Communication - Libreria Editrice Vaticana)