Overview
- During his March 8 Angelus, Pope Leo XIV urged prayers that “the roar of the bombs” cease, that weapons be set aside, and that space for dialogue open.
- He said reports from Iran and across the Middle East cause profound consternation and warned that beloved Lebanon may sink back into instability.
- Sunday’s remarks marked at least his fourth public appeal for restraint and peace over the past week.
- The appeals follow U.S. and Israeli strikes in Iran on Feb. 28 that killed senior figures and civilians, with the Iranian death toll reported at about 1,230.
- Fighting also escalated between Hezbollah and Israel after a March 2 attack by Hezbollah, with Israeli strikes on targets in Lebanon and the collapse of a fragile ceasefire.