Overview
- Pope Leo XIV, who spoke Tuesday outside his Castel Gandolfo residence, asked the president to find an “off-ramp” and to cut the bombing ahead of Easter.
- He urged all leaders to return to talks and said even a short Easter truce would reduce suffering for civilians, including children.
- Two days earlier on Palm Sunday, he said God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have “hands full of blood.”
- The month-long conflict began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28 and has spread across the region, killing thousands and disrupting energy supplies.
- Reuters noted he named Trump publicly for the first time, a shift that underscores rising Vatican criticism of the war and U.S. policy.