Trump is as likely to listen to Pope Leo than he did Pope Francis
Olivia
Rosane for Common Dreams
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| This is an actual Trump post from May 2025 |
While the pope did not mention either US President Donald Trump or
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by
name, he directly addressed those driving hostilities.
“On behalf of the Christians of the Middle East and all women and men of good will, I appeal to those responsible for this conflict,” Leo said, according to The Associated Press.
“Cease fire so that
avenues for dialogue may be reopened. Violence can never lead to the justice,
stability, and peace that the people are waiting for.”
The remarks came following his recital of the Angelus Prayer
from the Vatican at 12:00 pm local time.
“Some claim to involve the name of God in these deadly decisions, but God cannot be enlisted by darkness.”
“The people of the Middle East for two weeks have been suffering the atrocious violence of war,” he began.
He continued: “Thousands of innocent people have been killed,
and many others have been forced to abandon their homes. I renew my prayerful
closeness to all those who have lost their loved ones in the attacks that have
struck schools, hospitals, and residential areas.”
According to AP, the mentioned school strike likely referred
to the US bombing of an elementary school in Minab, Iran on the first day of
the war, which killed at least 175 people, the majority of whom
were children.
Pope Leo also repeated concerns about the situation in Lebanon, and called for
“paths of dialogue that can support the country’s authorities in implementing
lasting solutions to the serious crisis underway.”
Israeli attacks on that country have forced about 1 million people to abandon their homes
and killed more than 800, The Guardian reported.
The pope’s remarks came two days after a Israeli strikes
killed 12 healthcare workers at the primary
healthcare facility in Burj Qalaouiyah, Lebanon, an attack that the country’s
health ministry said “violated all international humanitarian laws.”
Director-General of the World Health
Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in
a statement Saturday: “WHO condemns this tragic loss of life and emphasizes
that health workers must always be protected. According to international
humanitarian law, medical personnel and facilities should never be attacked or
militarized.”
He continued: “The intensification of conflict in Lebanon
and the broader Middle East increases the likelihood of such tragedies. Urgent
action is required to de-escalate the crisis and protect the health of people
throughout the region.”
In Iran, meanwhile, US and Israeli attacks on the city of
Isfahan killed at least 15 people Sunday morning, and the total death toll for
the country is around 1,400, according to Al Jazeera.
Following his remarks during the Angelus Prayer, Pope Leo
also addressed the war while conducting a pastoral visit to a suburb of Rome.
“Currently, many of our brothers and sisters in the world
are suffering from violent conflicts, caused by the absurd claim that problems
and differences can be resolved through war,” he said, as Agence
France-Presse reported.
He also criticized those who use religion to justify violence: “Some claim to involve the
name of God in these deadly decisions, but God cannot be enlisted by darkness.
It is peace that those who invoke him must seek.”
