Pope Francis on the Iran-Israel conflict: “No more war, no more attacks, no more violence”

In Sunday’s prayer in front of St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis repudiated the rising tide of violence in the Middle East and made “an urgent appeal” to prevent the growth of “a spiral of violence.” Faced with the launch of drones and missiles by the Iranian government that had an international repercussion, the Supreme Pontiff advocated for peace in Sunday’s message and asked nations to intercede to stop the conflict. “I make an urgent appeal to stop all actions that can fuel a spiral of violence with the risk of bringing the Middle East into even greater conflict,” he said. In this vein, the Pope also referred to the conflict between Israel and Hamas and remarked: “No one must threaten the existence of others, all nations must stand on the side of peace and help Israelis and Palestinians to live in two states, in security. It is their legitimate desire and it is their right. No more war, no more attacks, no more violence, yes to dialogue and yes to peace.” He also emphasized that war is always “a defeat, a path without direction that does not open up prospects but extinguishes hope.” From the window of the Apostolic Palace, the Pope asked that “with determination we help the population plunged into a humanitarian catastrophe and the rapid release of the hostages kidnapped months ago,” and concluded: “How much suffering!

Original source in Spanish