Pope Leo XIV Has a Photo of a Lebanese Muslim Child Who Died in an Israeli Attack

Pope Leo XIV. (Instagram @pontifex)

JAKARTA - Pope Leo XIV said he had a photo of a Muslim boy who died in an Israeli attack in Lebanon.

Leo conveyed this to reporters who took part in the flight back to Rome after a visit from Africa on Thursday evening, April 23.

The Pope initially said that the US-Israeli war in Iran had caused the entire population of innocent people to suffer.

"What we have seen is that many innocent people have been killed. I have just seen letters from the families of children who were killed on the first day of the attack. There is also the entire population in Iran consisting of innocent people who suffer because of this war. It is not even clear what regime there is now after the first days of the attack by Israel and the United States against Iran...," the Pope said, quoted by Vatican News via The Telegraph, Sunday, April 24.

The first US-born pope then told of his previous visit to Lebanon, where he was greeted by Muslim boys and was well documented in photos.

However, the boy's unfortunate fate. He died after Israel expanded its military operation into Lebanon in early March 2026.

Since then, the Pope has been carrying the photo of the unfortunate boy in his pocket.

"I carry a picture of a Muslim child, who, during my visit to Lebanon, stood there holding a sign that read: 'Welcome, Pope Leo'. In this latest phase of the war, he was killed. There are many humanitarian situations like this, and I believe we must have the ability to think like this," said Leo.

"And as a Church, I say again: As a shepherd, I cannot support war. I want to encourage everyone to try to find answers that come from a culture of peace, not hatred or division," the world's Catholic leader continued.