Pope Leo calls out Trump’s Iran rhetoric before last-minute ceasefire emerges

Hours before PresidentDonald Trumpannounced a two-week delay in attacking Iran, Pope Leo issued a rare and pointed condemnation, denouncing Trump’s Tuesday morning threat against the country as “truly unacceptable.”

Speaking to journalists outside his residence inCastel Gandolfo, Italy, the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics spoke out against the escalating war and called for an immediate end to the conflict.

“Today, as we all know, there has also been this threatagainst the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,” the pope said.“There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole entire population.”

The comments were seemingly in reference to one of Trump’s earlier Truth Social posts, where he wrote, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will… God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

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TRUMP VOWS US WILL STRIKE IRAN’S POWER PLANTS, BRIDGES IF STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS NOT REOPENED

Pope Leo XIV speaks to the media on the U.S.–Israeli conflict with Iran, as he leaves the papal residence to head back to the Vatican, in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, April 7, 2026.(Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)

Trump later said that, based on conversations with Pakistani leaders, he would delay the “bombing and attack of Iran” for two weeks.

The postponement is subject to theIslamic Republic of Iranagreeing to “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post.

He added the administration received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and officials “believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.”

President Donald Trump shared a strongly worded threat against Iran on social media Tuesday morning.(@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)

Pope Leo had warned that attacks on civilian infrastructure are “against international law” and serve as a “sign of the hatred, the division [and] the destruction the human being is capable of.”

The pontiff went on to describe the conflict as a war many are calling “unjust” that is “not resolving anything.”

“In fact, we have aworldwide economic crisis, energy crisis situation in the Middle East of great instability, which is only provoking more hatred throughout the world,” he said.“So come back to the table.Let’s talk let’s look for solutions in a peaceful way.”

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The pope also took the unusual step of calling on everyday citizens to “contact the authorities — political leaders, congressmen — to ask them towork for peaceand to reject war always.”

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Pope Leo condemned President Trump’s threat against Iran as morally unacceptable and urged an immediate end to the war.Hours later, Trump delayed planned strikes, announcing a conditional two-week ceasefire to allow negotiations.(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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A clash between the sovereign of theVatican City Stateand world leaders is highly unusual, though the pope made his first direct appeal to Trump last week, urging him to find an “off-ramp” to end the war with Iran, according toa reportfrom Reuters.

Pope Leo on Tuesday pleaded for the protection of the innocent, urging the world to remember “the children, the elderly, the sick,” who he said “have already become, or will become, victims of this continued warfare.”

She has covered major national crises, including the L.A.wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.