Overview
- The private audience at the Vatican, which took place Friday, centered on resolving the Iran‑centered war with special attention to Lebanon and the shaky US‑Iran truce.
- Both leaders welcomed the US‑Iran ceasefire and called for a diplomatic path to end the wider regional fighting, according to a Vatican statement.
- Vatican officials said the talks addressed global conflicts with a hope to restore peaceful coexistence through dialogue and negotiation.
- Macron and Pope Leo distanced themselves from President Donald Trump’s warlike rhetoric, with Leo calling threats to civilians unacceptable and Macron saying there was too much talk.
- The visit comes three days before Pope Leo’s trip to Algeria, as the Vatican and the Pentagon also rejected a report that a senior US official harshly rebuked the Holy See’s envoy in January.