Pope Leo appeals for ‘reason’ amid Israel-Iran airstrikes, calls for dialogue

VATICAN CITY - Pope Leo appealed on June 14 for the authorities in Iran and Israel to act with “reason” after air strikes between the two countries killed dozens and sent civilians into shelters, and called on the nations to pursue dialogue.

Pope Leo, in one of the strongest peace appeals yet of his five-week papacy, told an audience in St Peter’s Basilica he was following the situation with “great concern”.

“In such a delicate moment, I strongly wish to renew an appeal to responsibility and to reason,” said the Pope.

“The commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue to build a lasting peace, founded on justice, fraternity, and the common good,” he said.

“No one should ever threaten the existence of another,” said Pope Leo. “It is the duty of all countries to support the cause of peace, initiating paths of reconciliation and promoting solutions that guarantee security and dignity for all.”

Pope Leo

was elected on May 8

to replace the late Pope Francis and is the first pontiff from the United States.

Unlike Pope Francis, who often spoke off the cuff at public events, Pope Leo is more cautious with words and almost always speaks from a prepared text.

The Pope read aloud his appeal on June 14 in Italian from a piece of paper.

Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran

early on June 13, targeting commanders, military targets and nuclear sites in what it called a “preemptive strike” to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons programme.

Iran, which denies that its uranium enrichment activities are part of a secret weapons programme, retaliated by launching waves of missiles at Israel, killing at least two people and injuring dozens. REUTERS