After Israel and Iran conducted airstrikes, a ceasefire agreement appears to be holding
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV addressed all Christians in the Middle East following his general audience June 25, saying, “I am close to you, the whole Church is close to you.”
He also called for dialogue, diplomacy and peace for the whole Middle East, quoting from the prophet Isaiah, “One nation will no longer raise its sword against another nation. They will no longer learn the art of war.”
“Let this voice from the Most High be heard!” he said at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square June 25.
“We continue to follow developments in Iran, Israel and Palestine closely and with hope,” he said.
“The words of the prophet Isaiah resonate more urgently than ever,” he said, quoting from the vision of Zion where nations will beat their swords into plowshares and end the art of war.
“Let this voice from the Most High be heard!” he said to applause, calling for a rejection of revenge and a return to dialogue.
Israel launched strikes against Iran June 13 in what it called a “preemptive” strike to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapon capabilities. Iran retaliated with missle attacks on Israel. At President Donald Trump’s order, the United States joined that conflict June 21, attacking three nuclear facilities in Iran.
Trump announced on social media June 23 a ceasefire deal had been reached — a day after Pope Leo XIV warned world leaders they were headed for an “irreparable abyss.”
The ceasefire between Israel and Iran seemed to be holding after Trump expressed frustration June 24 with both countries, telling reporters at the White House that initially Iran violated the deal but “Israel violated it too.”
On June 25, Pope Leo also condemned the suicide bombing at a Damascus church, calling it “a cowardly terrorist attack” as he appealed to the international community not to give up on Syria.
At least 25 people were killed and 63 others wounded after a suicide bomber opened fire and then detonated an explosive vest at St. Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syria, June 22, during a Sunday Divine Liturgy.
The jihadist group, Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the AFP June 24. It was the first such attack in Damascus since former President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by Islamist-led rebels in December, ending 13 years of civil war.
Kate Scanlon, OSV News, contributed to this story.
