Pope says Trump’s war threat ‘truly unacceptable’

In some of his strongest statements yet against the war, the US Pope has urged Americans and other people of good will to contact their political leaders and congressional representatives to demand that they reject the war and work for peace.

“Today, as we all know, there was a threat against the entire Iranian people. This is truly unacceptable,” Leo said as he left his country home in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome.

He referred to Trump’s threat that an “entire civilization will die tonight” if Iran fails to meet its latest deadline to strike a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Leo recalled his Easter call for peace and to reject war, “especially a war that many people have said is an unjust war, that continues to escalate and that solves nothing.”

He invited all people of goodwill to contact their political leaders and congressional representatives to remind them that attacks on civilian infrastructure are “contrary to international law” and are also a “sign of the hatred, division and destruction of which human beings are capable, and we all want to work for peace.”

In recent weeks, the first U.S.-born pope in history has escalated the tone of his opposition to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran after initially making quiet calls for peace and dialogue.

Last week, Leo publicly mentioned Trump for the first time, saying he hoped the US president was really “looking for an exit.”

The Vatican has a tradition of diplomatic neutrality and it is rare for a pope to specifically mention a political leader or a country in a critical manner. But the war in Iran has prompted even a reserved pope to break typical protocol.

On Tuesday, Leo did not mention Trump by name, but in comments in English he urged people to contact their political leaders and congressional representatives “to ask them, to tell them that they must work for peace and reject war.”

“We have a global economic crisis, an energy crisis, a situation in the Middle East of great instability, which is only provoking more hatred around the world,” he said.

He said the message to political leaders should be: “Come back to the table, let’s talk, let’s look for solutions in a peaceful way and, above all, let’s remember the innocent children, the elderly, the sick, so many people who have already been or will be victims of this ongoing warfare.”

The Vatican is particularly concerned about how the conflict in Iran has expanded into a new war in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant Hezbollah group. The Vatican fears for Christians in southern Lebanon, who are an important stronghold for the church in the region.

Earlier in the day, the Vatican released a special message from Leo to the residents of Debel, Lebanon, after a Vatican-led convoy carrying more than 40 tons of aid failed to arrive with an Easter shipment. It was canceled for what the Maronite Church in Lebanon said were “security reasons.”

In the message, Leo expressed his solidarity with the “injustices” suffered by Christians in southern Lebanon and compared them to the suffering of Christ.

“In your misfortune, in the injustice you endure, in the sense of abandonment you experience, you are very close to Jesus. You are also close to Him on this Easter Day when He overcame the forces of evil, and that resonates for you as a promise for the future,” read the message, written in French and signed by Vatican Foreign Minister Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Leo visited Lebanon late last year on his first international trip as pope.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Be the first to receive your latest news and exclusive stories by following us on all platforms.