Pope hails US-Iran deal, appeals for dialogue in Ukraine

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday hailed a deal on ending the Middle East war announced between Iran and the US as the result of “encouraging work in dialogue and negotiation”.

The US and Iran agreed this week to a deal to end the conflict and Leo expressed his “gratitude” to those who helped the negotiations.

“I hope that this agreement will contribute to strengthening mutual trust, security, and stability in the Middle East by promoting paths of dialogue and cooperation between peoples,” Leo said during his weekly audience at the Vatican.

The 70-year-old pope also spoke of the “painful” news about the war in Ukraine and prayed for “paths of dialogue… to make a just and lasting peace possible”.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has become Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II and has dragged on longer than World War I.

“So many innocent victims, rescuers killed, churches and cultural heritage sites devastated by flames,” Leo said.

“I am close to those mourning their loved ones, to the injured, and to those who, amidst the violence, continue to serve life with courage,” he said.