Pope Leo XIV Urges Ceasefire and Dialogue Amid Escalating Middle East Conflict

Vatican City, March 15, 2026: Pope Leo XIV on Sunday appealed for an immediate ceasefire and renewed dialogue as violence continues to escalate in the Middle East conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

Addressing the faithful after the Angelus prayer, the Pope called on those responsible for the conflict to halt hostilities. “In the name of the Christians of the Middle East and of all women and men of goodwill: cease the fire and reopen paths of dialogue,” he said.

He stressed that violence cannot bring the justice, stability or peace that people long for.

“The peoples of the Middle East have been suffering the atrocious violence of war for two weeks,” the Pope noted, adding that thousands of innocent people have already been killed and many others forced to flee their homes.

Pope Leo XIV also expressed his spiritual closeness to families grieving the loss of loved ones in attacks on schools, hospitals and residential areas.

The Pope voiced particular concern for the situation in Lebanon, expressing hope that renewed dialogue would help the country’s authorities find lasting solutions to the serious crisis facing the nation and work for the common good of the Lebanese people.

Meanwhile, the wider regional conflict has intensified, leaving civilians in Iran and Lebanon among those most severely affected.

On Friday, an Israeli strike on a health centre in southern Lebanon killed twelve medical workers. The head of the World Health Organization described the attack as “unacceptable”. Lebanon’s health ministry reports that more than 800 people have died in Israeli air strikes since the fighting escalated, while over 800,000 residents have been displaced.

Israel says its strikes target locations where Hezbollah allegedly stores weapons and coordinates attacks. Hezbollah began launching rockets towards northern Israel in support of Iran shortly after the conflict erupted.

In Iran, at least 15 people were reportedly killed on Saturday in strikes on an industrial zone in the central province of Isfahan. Iranian authorities, the Iranian Red Crescent and several rights groups estimate that between 1,230 and 1,300 civilians have died since the start of the US–Israel campaign, although the figures have not been independently verified.

One of the deadliest incidents occurred on 28 February when a missile destroyed a girls’ elementary school in Minab, killing between 168 and 180 people, most of them children, according to Iranian media.

Tensions across the region continue to rise. Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry says it intercepted seven drones over Riyadh and the Eastern Region. Authorities in Dubai and Qatar also reported air-defence interceptions, while Kuwait said a drone strike damaged radar systems at its international airport.

Israel’s military reported intercepting missiles launched from Iran early Sunday, with emergency services saying the barrage targeted central Israel.

Amid the growing crisis, the United States embassy in Baghdad has warned American citizens to leave Iraq after a missile struck the embassy compound on Saturday, urging US nationals to depart the country immediately.

Pope Leo XIV Urges Ceasefire and Dialogue Amid Escalating Middle East Conflict

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