Pope Urges Ceasefire In Middle East

By Victoria Cardiel

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged those responsible for the escalating war in the Middle East to declare a ceasefire and open paths of dialogue, warning that violence can never lead to justice or peace.

“In the name of the Christians of the Middle East and of all women and men of goodwill, I address those responsible for this conflict: Let the fire cease and let paths of dialogue be reopened,” the pope said after praying the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

The appeal came amid continuing regional tensions and exchanges of attacks in the Middle East. Earlier Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC that Iran is seeking a ceasefire agreement to end U.S. and Israeli bombing, though he said he is not prepared to accept the proposal for now because the “terms are not good enough yet.”

Israel also struck targets in Lebanon, where at least 14 people were reported killed, including four minors. Pope Leo described the situation in the country as “a cause for great concern.”

“I hope that paths of dialogue will open that can help the authorities of the country implement lasting solutions to the serious crisis underway, for the common good of all Lebanese,” he said.

The pope noted that for the past two weeks the peoples of the Middle East have been suffering “the atrocious violence of war.”

“Thousands of innocent people have been killed and many others have been forced to abandon their homes,” he said, expressing his prayerful closeness to those who have lost loved ones in attacks on schools, hospitals, and residential areas.

“Violence will never lead to the justice, stability, or peace that peoples hope for,” he added.

‘Faith is not a renunciation of reason’

Earlier during the Angelus reflection, Pope Leo emphasized that Christian faith does not require abandoning reason but instead allows believers to see reality more clearly.

Reflecting on the Gospel account of the healing of the man born blind (John 9:1–41), the pope said the episode reveals the deeper meaning of salvation.

“While humanity walked in darkness, God sent his Son as the light of the world to open the eyes of the blind and illuminate our lives,” he said.

The pope stressed that faith “is not a blind act,” nor “a renunciation of reason,” nor a conviction that turns believers away from the world.

Rather, he explained, “faith helps us to look from the point of view of Jesus, with his eyes.”

“It is a participation in his way of seeing,” he said, quoting Lumen Fidei, the first encyclical of Pope Francis.

For this reason, Christians are called to open their eyes to the suffering of others and to the wounds of the world.

The Gospel, the pope said, contradicts the idea — widespread for centuries and still present today — that faith is a “leap into darkness.”

“On the contrary, the Gospel tells us that in contact with Christ the eyes are opened,” he said.

Pope Leo added that the Gospel invites believers to view the world with Christ’s eyes and not remain indifferent to human suffering.

“Today, in particular, faced with the many questions of the human heart and the dramatic situations of injustice, violence, and suffering that mark our time, there is a need for an awake, attentive, and prophetic faith,” he said.

Such faith, he explained, “opens our eyes to the darkness of the world and brings there the light of the Gospel through a commitment to peace, justice, and solidarity.”

The pope concluded by encouraging Christians to live a “Christianity with open eyes,” with simplicity and courage.

“Brothers and sisters, we too, healed by the love of Christ, are called to live a Christianity with open eyes,” he said.

• This story was first published in two parts by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.