Pope decries 'atrocious violence', urges ceasefire

VATICAN CITY: Pope ⁠Leo made an impassioned plea on Sunday for ​an immediate ceasefire ​in the expanding Iran war, lamenting 'atrocious violence' that he said had killed thousands of non-combatants and caused suffering across the region. As the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its third week, the first ⁠US pope warned that violence would not ⁠bring the justice, stability and peace that the peoples of the region long for.
'For two weeks, the peoples of the ‌Middle East have been suffering ​the atrocious violence ⁠of war,' the pope said at ​his weekly Angelus prayer in ‌St Peter's Square. 'In the name of Christians in the Middle ​East and of all women and men of good will, I appeal to those responsible for this conflict: Cease fire!' Pope Leo said. 'Thousands of innocent people have been killed, and many more have been forced to ​leave their homes. I renew my closeness to all ​those who ⁠have lost their loved ones in the attacks,' he said.
Leo added that the situation in Lebanon — ​ravaged by a war between Israel and ⁠the Lebanese group Hezbollah — was also a cause of 'great concern'. 'I hope for paths of dialogue that can support the country's authorities in implementing lasting solutions to ​the serious crisis currently underway, for the ​common good of all the Lebanese people,' the pope said. — Reuters