VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo on Sunday said death and suffering caused by the war in the Middle East are a "scandal to the whole human family", renewing his plea for an immediate ceasefire.
As the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran enters its fourth week, the first US pope said that he continues to follow with "dismay" the situation in the Middle East and in other regions torn apart by war and violence.
"We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many people, the defenceless victims of these conflicts. What hurts them hurts the whole of humanity," Leo said at his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square.
"I strongly renew my appeal for us to persevere in prayer, so that hostilities may cease and the way may finally be paved for peace," he added.
“What hurts them hurts the whole of humanity.
"I strongly renew my appeal for us to persevere in prayer, so that hostilities may cease and the way may finally be paved for peace.”
On Wednesday, the Vatican's top diplomat had called on US President Donald Trump to end the expanding Iran war as soon as possible and suggested Israel should also stop its strikes against Lebanon.
"I would say to finish it as soon as possible ... and to leave Lebanon alone," Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a senior adviser to Pope Leo, said in an unusually direct appeal.
"This message goes also to the Israelis," he added, speaking to journalists at an event at the Italian parliament.
Vatican diplomats do not usually make direct appeals for action by foreign leaders, preferring to work behind the scenes. Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State since 2013, is known for speaking in muted tones and seeking to avoid the spotlight.
Parolin said on Wednesday he was worried that the conflict would continue to escalate and called on Trump and other world leaders "to resolve problems ... through the peaceful ways of diplomacy and dialogue". — Reuters
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