Sun 22 March 2026:

Death and suffering caused by the war in the ⁠Middle East are a “scandal to the whole human family”, Pope Leo has said, renewing his ⁠plea for an immediate ceasefire.

The American pope and head of the Roman Catholic Church ‌said that he continues to follow with “dismay” the situation in the Middle East and in other regions torn apart by 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.

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Top Vatican cardinal urges Trump, Israel to end war ‘as soon as possible’

The Vatican’s top diplomat on Wednesday called ‌on U.S. 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 alone Lebanon,” Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a senior advisor to the AmericanPope 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.

Leo, who also known for speaking diplomatically, has been ramping up calls for an end ⁠to the Iran war in recent days.

On Monday, he urged journalists to highlight the suffering caused by war, cautioning against news reports ⁠that risk sliding into propaganda by glorifying conflicts.

Parolin said on Wednesday he was worried that the conflict would continue ⁠to escalate. He called on Trump and other world leaders “to resolve problems … through the peaceful ways of diplomacy and dialogue”.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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