JAKARTA - Pope Leo XIV on Sunday delivered the most emphatic call so far to stop the war in the Middle East. He asked those responsible to immediately declare a ceasefire so that the path of dialogue can be reopened.
Launching HuffPost, Monday, March 16, the appeal was delivered by Pope Leo at the end of the Sunday afternoon blessing prayer at the Vatican. He did not mention the United States or Israel directly. However, he spoke to leaders responsible for the conflict that is now hitting Iran and spreading to the region.
"On behalf of Christians in the Middle East and all women and men of good will, I call on those responsible for this conflict. Stop the shooting so that the path of dialogue can be reopened," Pope Leo said. He emphasized that violence would not bring the justice, stability, and peace that the people were waiting for.
The first pope from the United States also alluded to the attack that hit a school in the early days of the war. The attack is believed to refer to a missile attack on an elementary school in Iran that killed more than 165 people, many of them children. US officials said the attack was likely triggered by outdated intelligence and is still under investigation.
The Vatican paid great attention to the attack in Minab. The Vatican's official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, published an aerial photo of the mass grave excavation for child victims with the title "Faces of War". Pope Leo also expressed his closeness to the families of the victims of the attack that hit schools, hospitals, and residential areas. He specifically highlighted the impact of the war in Lebanon, when aid groups warned of the threat of a humanitarian crisis.
For the past two weeks, Pope Leo has tended to hold back and only call for diplomacy. This attitude is considered in line with the tradition of the Vatican's diplomatic neutrality. At the same time, a number of high-ranking Church officials began to speak more bluntly. Cardinal Robert McElroy, still quoting Huffpost, said the war was not morally justified.
Cardinal Blase Cupich said he was sick of seeing the White House use the image of a video game in a social media message about the war. Meanwhile, the Secretary of State of the Vatican, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, rejected Washington's claim of a "preventive war", although the Holy See remained open to dialogue with all parties.
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