Pope Leo XIV has spoken out against Donald Trump’s war in Iran for the third time since the president launched his brutal military attack.
On Tuesday, Pope Leo, 70, appeared to allude to the crisis in the Middle East, urging world leaders to “truly seek to promote dialogue” and “find solutions, without weapons, to resolve problems.”
Speaking at the Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo, the first U.S.-born pontiff told the congregation, “Pray for peace, work for peace, less hatred. Hatred keeps growing in the world.”
His latest statement follows a heartfelt message posted on X on Sunday, the day after Trump’s Operation Epic Fury was launched on Iran.
“Stability and peace are not built with mutual threats, nor with weapons, which sow destruction, pain, and death,” Pope Leo wrote, “but only through a reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue.”
Calling the events a possible “tragedy of immense proportions,” he made 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, “May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld. And let us continue to pray for peace.”
It comes after Christopher Hale, a former Obama staffer who now runs the Substack publication “Letters From Leo,” reported on Saturday that a source close to the pontiff told him that Pope Leo viewed Trump’s strikes as “immoral, illegal, and a grave threat to the entire human family.”
Hale wrote on Substack on Tuesday, “Three appeals in three days. That is not a coincidence. That is a pope who has decided that silence is no longer an option.”
Hale added, “Pope Leo sees through the lies. He always has.”
Last month, Pope Leo and the Vatican declined an invitation to join Trump’s “Board of Peace,” his attempt to recreate the United Nations and deal with global issues.
“At the international level, it should above all be the U.N. that manages these crisis situations,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters, according to Reuters.
The Chicago-born Leo, who was elected last May, has been a vocal critic of Trump’s foreign policy, including his invasion of Venezuela, after which he condemned the world “zeal for war.”
At the time, the pontiff called for the “overcoming of violence” and the “good of the Venezuelan people.”
In December, he said the U.S. could find “another way” to exert influence in Venezuela, stating “it is better to look for ways of dialogue, maybe pressure, including economic pressure,” rather than military intervention.
The pope has also spoken out against the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts and condemned the ongoing attacks on immigrants, slamming ICE for refusing the religious rights of detained migrants.
Leo also pleaded for diplomacy during the first round of strikes on Iran last June.
Ahead of the Lenten season, which began on Feb. 18, Pope Leo suggested that people abstain from hatred during the Catholic Church’s 40-day period of sacrifice before Easter.
“Let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities,” he said.
“In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace.”
