Newsletters
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday called on world leaders to return to diplomacy and end ongoing conflicts, expressing hope that U.S. President Donald Trump was seeking an exit from the war in the Middle East, as the Catholic Church prepares to mark Easter Sunday.
Speaking to journalists as he departed his residence at Castel Gandolfo, outside Rome, for the Vatican, the 70-year-old American pontiff said he had been told Trump recently expressed a desire to end the war. "Hopefully he's looking for an off-ramp," Leo said, adding that a move toward reducing violence and bombing would be "a significant contribution to removing the hatred that's being created and that's increasing constantly in the Middle East and elsewhere."
The pope issued a broad appeal to all heads of state, urging them to return to the negotiating table. "Come back to the table to dialogue, let's look for solutions of problems," he said, adding that too many world leaders were actively promoting hatred, violence and war rather than seeking to reduce them.
Leo acknowledged the persistence of global suffering, citing the deaths of civilians, including children, as evidence of a world still gripped by conflict. "We continually make an appeal for peace, but unfortunately many people want to promote hatred, violence and war," he said.
With Easter Sunday days away, Leo framed the holy season as a moment of moral urgency. The Christian holiday, which marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ and stands as the central feast of the Catholic liturgical calendar, should be "the holiest, most sacred time of the whole year," he said, describing it as "a time of peace, a time for deep reflection."
The remarks were among the pope's most direct public comments on geopolitics since his election. Leo, the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church, is set to celebrate Easter as pontiff for the first time on Sunday.
1 min read
The papacy has long positioned itself as a voice for mediation in international disputes, with popes historically calling for ceasefires and humanitarian corridors during wartime. Leo's comments continue that tradition while introducing a notably direct reference to U.S. foreign policy and the Trump administration's stated posture on ending the conflict in the Middle East.
The pope did not specify which conflict he was referring to, though his remarks came amid ongoing fighting in Gaza, where the war between Israel and Hamas has drawn sustained international condemnation over civilian casualties.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
