In a high-profile public intervention ahead of the 2026 Easter holiday, Pope Leo XIV — the first American-born pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church — has issued a direct appeal to former U.S. President Donald Trump to seek a diplomatic exit from rapidly escalating tensions between the United States and Iran. The rare public naming of a sitting U.S. leader by the pontiff marks a significant shift in the Vatican’s public engagement with the ongoing crisis, according to details of the pope’s comments shared during a recent CNN interview.
Speaking amid the solemn observances of Holy Week, the Pope used his traditional Urbi et Orbi address, delivered to millions of faithful around the globe, to ramp up his push for global peace amid growing fears of open conflict. He centered his appeal on the urgent need for an “off-ramp” from confrontation, urging political and military leaders with the power to authorize armed conflict to choose diplomacy over violence. “Let those who have weapons lay them down,” the pontiff stated. “Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace.”
Pope Leo XIV also pushed back firmly against emerging rhetoric that frames the escalating standoff through a religious lens, arguing that religious justifications for war have no place in Christian teaching. “Jesus is the King of Peace, who rejects war,” he emphasized. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war but rejects them.” The pontiff further warned of a dangerous growing global indifference to widespread violence, noting that prolonged conflict has numbed global publics to the human cost of armed confrontation.
Senior leaders across the Catholic Church have quickly voiced their unified support for the Pope’s stance. Cardinal Robert McElroy publicly cautioned against claims of divine backing for the conflict, describing it as morally unjustified. Archbishop Timothy Broglio, meanwhile, raised pointed questions about the legal and ethical foundation of pre-emptive military action against Iran, aligning with the Pope’s call for negotiated de-escalation.