CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — Pope Leo XIV called on Sunday for an immediate suspension of military attacks in the Middle East and a return to diplomacy, warning that intensifying operations have brought renewed violence and destruction to the region.
Speaking after the Angelus prayer from the papal summer residence, the pontiff expressed deep concern over civilian casualties in the West Bank and Gaza and urged all parties to reopen spaces for dialogue. He also noted Saturday's beatification in Lebanon of Elias Boutros Hoyek, the former Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, and voiced solidarity with communities hit by wildfires in France and Spain.
From Jerusalem, Father Ibrahim Faltas, director of schools in the Holy Land, called on warring parties to heed the pope's appeals for peace and cited home burnings and checkpoint restrictions in the West Bank as urgent concerns.