Pope Leo XIV has sharply criticised Donald Trump after the US leader warned that "a whole civilisation will die tonight" if Iran failed to meet his demands.
Speaking from Castel Gandolfo, the pope described the threat against the Iranian population as "truly unacceptable," stressing both its moral implications and its potential breach of international law.
The remarks mark a rare direct intervention by the pontiff, who has increasingly voiced concern over the escalating US-Israel war on Iran. In recent weeks, he has urged restraint and encouraged diplomatic solutions, including a direct appeal to Washington to seek an "off-ramp" to end the fighting.
Further reading: Trump steps back from threat to "destroy a whole civilisation".
As Pope Leo states:
Today, as we all know, there was this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable. There are certainly issues here of international law, but even more than that, it is a moral question for the good of the (world's) people. People want peace.
I would invite the citizens of all the countries involved to contact the authorities -- political leaders, congressmen -- to ask them to work for peace. Remember especially the innocent children, the elderly, the sick, so many people who have already become or will become victims of this continued warfare.