By Linda Bordoni and Nathan Morley
Addressing those responsible for the ongoing conflict between the US and Israel and Iran, Pope Leo XIV on Sunday launched an appeal “in the name of the Christians of the Middle East and of all women and men of goodwill: Cease the fire! Let paths of dialogue be reopened!”
“Violence can never lead to the justice, the stability and the peace that peoples are awaiting,” he said.
As he turned to the faithful after the recitation of the Angelus Prayer, the Pope recalled that “the peoples of the Middle East have been suffering the atrocious violence of war” for two weeks.
“Thousands of innocent people have been killed, and many others have been forced to abandon their homes. I renew my prayerful closeness to all those who have lost their loved ones in the attacks that have struck schools, hospitals, and residential areas,” he added.
Pope Leo also expressed great concern for the situation in Lebanon.
“I hope for paths of dialogue that can support the country’s authorities in implementing lasting solutions to the serious crisis underway, for the common good of all the Lebanese people.
Civilians feel the brunt of brutal Iran conflict
The spillover from the conflict involving Iran has intensified across the Middle East, with civilians in Iran and Lebanon among the worst affected.
Twelve medical workers were killed on Friday when an Israeli strike hit a health centre in southern Lebanon. The head of the World Health Organization condemned the attack, describing the deaths as “unacceptable”. Lebanon’s health ministry says more than 800 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes since the fighting escalated, and more than 800,000 have been displaced from their homes.
Israel says it is targeting areas where it accuses Hezbollah of storing weapons and coordinating attacks. Hezbollah began firing rockets towards northern Israel in support of Iran shortly after the conflict began.
Meanwhile, in Iran, at least 15 people were reported 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 been killed since the start of the US–Israel campaign. The figures have not been independently verified.
One of the deadliest incidents occurred on Feb 28, the first day of the conflict, when a missile destroyed a girls’ elementary school in Minab. Iranian media say between 168 and 180 people were killed, most of them children.
Meanwhile, regional tensions have continued to widen. Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry says it has intercepted and destroyed seven drones over Riyadh and the Eastern Region. Authorities in Dubai and Qatar also reported air-defence interceptions on Sunday, while Kuwait said a drone strike had damaged radar systems at its international airport. Israel’s military says it has intercepted missiles launched from Iran in the early hours of Sunday morning. Emergency services reported that the barrage was aimed at central Israel.
Amid all this, the US embassy in Baghdad has issued a new warning for American citizens to leave Iraq after a missile struck the embassy compound on Saturday. In its statement, the embassy said US nationals should “leave Iraq now”. – Vatican News
