Trending 
The leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, has expressed concern over the ongoing crisis in the Middle East following the strikes launched by the United States and Israel on Iran on Saturday.
Israel carried out what it described as a “pre-emptive strike” launched in response to “national security threats”. Iran also retaliated by attacking US bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE in retaliation. The attacks and counterattacks have triggered airspace closures across the Gulf.
In a post shared on X on Sunday, the Pope described this period as tumultuous and urged a peaceful resolution of the conflict, adding that peace can not be achieved through violence.
“I am following with deep concern what is happening in the Middle East and in Iran during this tumultuous time. Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering, and death, but only through reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue,” he wrote.
Pope Leo XIV also noted that the crisis risks aggravating into a calamity of monumental proportions
“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions, I make a heartfelt appeal to all the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm,” he added.
