Pope Leo called on Catholics to pray so ‘that the roar of bombs may cease, that the weapons may fall silent’
Pope Leo XIV called for an end to the war in Iran and warned that the conflict could drag more countries in the Middle East into instability.
Speaking to pilgrims after praying the Angelus prayer March 8, the pope said that developing news from Iran and from across the Middle East has caused “deep dismay.”
“Amid episodes of violence and devastation, and the widespread climate of hatred and fear, there is also the concern that the conflict may widen and that other countries in the region, including Lebanon, may once again sink into instability,” he said.
According to The Associated Press, Israeli forces struck an oil storage facility in Tehran, as well as targeted assaults in southern Lebanon against commanders of the Lebanese branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. More than 1,200 have been killed in Iran, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior officials. At least 165, including a number of children, died at a school adjacent to an Iran Revolutionary Guard Base in Minab, Iran. Emerging footage indicates that strike appears to have been initiated by the U.S.
Iran has continued striking U.S. allies in the Gulf, including Bahrain, where it fired missiles at a desalination plant. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi defended the attack, arguing that the “U.S. set this precedent” after it struck a desalination plant in Iran, AP reported. Seven U.S. service members have been killed in the conflict.
The pope’s concern for Lebanon came as government officials confirmed that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants resulted in the deaths of 394 people, including 83 children.
In his appeal, Pope Leo called on Catholics to pray so that “the roar of bombs may cease, that the weapons may fall silent and that a space for dialogue may open in which the voice of the peoples can be heard.”
“I entrust this supplication to Mary, Queen of Peace,” the pope said. “May she intercede for those who suffer because of war and guide hearts along the paths of reconciliation and hope.”
Maronite priest killed in Lebanon
Bishop A. Elias Zaidan is calling for prayer, dialogue and solidarity after a Maronite priest was killed in Lebanon amid the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
Father Pierre al-Rahi died March 9 when an Israeli tank fired on a house in the southern Lebanon village of Qlayaa.
Father al-Rahi had, along with other priests, refused Israeli orders to evacuate the Maronite village, located a few miles from the border with Israel and home to some 8,000.
When the strike took place, Father al-Rahi “didn’t wait” but “went to jump in right away” after hearing “one of the homes in his town was bombarded,” Bishop Zaidan, who heads the St. Louis-based Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, said.
Bishop Zaidan said the priest was injured in a second strike that took place “right away” after the first, and then “died in the hospital.”
