Pope Leo welcomes Middle East ceasefire, urges dialogue

Pope Leo on Wednesday welcomed a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran and urged all parties to engage in dialogue to end the conflict.

The pope said he received the news "with satisfaction and as a sign of deep hope."

"Only through a return to the negotiating table can we bring the war to an end," he added.

He also asked the faithful to accompany this delicate diplomatic period with prayer "in the hope that a willingness to engage in dialogue may become the means to resolve other situations of conflict throughout the world."

On Tuesday, the pope rebuked US President Donald Trump's threats against Iran, calling them "truly unacceptable."

Before the ceasefire announcement, Trump wrote "a whole civilization will die tonight" on his Truth Social platform.

"There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more, it is a moral question concerning the good of the people as a whole, in its entirety," the pontiff told reporters Tuesday evening.

Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran a few hours later, saying Tehran presented a "workable" 10-point proposal for negotiations.

The announcement came less than two hours before the expiration of a deadline Trump had repeatedly extended for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept an agreement or face widespread destruction.