VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday renewed appeals for peace in Ukraine, Lebanon, and Sudan, calling on the international community not to look away from the suffering caused by war and insisting that civilians must be shielded from its devastation.

Pope Leo XIV called for an immediate ceasefire on Sunday as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues, urging all parties to respect international law and protect civilians.

Pope Leo XIV renews his appeal for peace in the Middle East, calling for an end to the war and reopening of dialogue. “Dear brothers and sisters, for two weeks the peoples of the Middle East have suffered the atrocious violence of war,” the US pontiff says at his weekly Angelus prayer at the Vatican.

CatholicPhilly presents a weekly roundup of international news from Vatican News, the official news portal of the Holy See. The following report on the week of April 5, 2026 links to stories on VaticanNews.

Pope Leo XIV demanded a ceasefire in the Middle East on Sunday in his strongest comments to date, directly addressing the leaders who launched the war in Iran.

The White House pushed back at the Vatican and defended praying for U.S. troops fighting in Iran after Pope Leo XIV warned that God rejects the prayers “of those who wage war,” Barron’s reported.

Pope Leo XIV welcomed the ceasefire in the Middle East as “a sign of genuine hope" after what he described as “hours of extreme tension.”

Only through a return to negotiation can the war come to an end,’ the Pope said at the end of his weekly general audience.

In his strongest words yet, Pope Leo XIV on Saturday denounced the “delusion of omnipotence” that is fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran and demanded political leaders stop and negotiate peace.