Pope Leo XIV Calls for Peace After Khamenei's Death

Vatican City, March 3 – Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff, issued a urgent appeal for peace and dialogue on Sunday, urging leaders involved in the escalating Middle East conflict to halt a cycle of violence following joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The strikes, launched on Saturday, targeted military sites in Tehran and other Iranian cities, including facilities linked to the country's nuclear program. Iranian state media confirmed Khamenei's death, along with several top officials, after nearly 37 years of his rule. In response, Iran carried out retaliatory missile and drone attacks on Israel and U.S. military bases in several Gulf countries. The operation aimed to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions, which U.S. officials have long described as a threat to regional stability.

Speaking during his Angelus address in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo expressed deep concern over the developments. "I am following with deep concern what is happening in the Middle East and in Iran during this tumultuous time," he said. He emphasized that "stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of...