Pope Leo XIV issued his most forceful demand to date for a ceasefire in the Middle East on Sunday, directly appealing to the leaders responsible for the conflict in Iran.

“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 stated.

“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.”

Speaking after his Sunday noon blessing, Leo refrained from explicitly naming the United States or Israel.

However, the first US Pope made a clear reference to attacks targeting a school, seemingly alluding to the missile strike on an elementary school in Iran during the war’s initial days, which claimed the lives of over 165 people, many of them children.

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US officials have since indicated that outdated intelligence likely led to the strike, with an investigation into the incident currently underway.

The Vatican has prominently highlighted the devastation of the Minab strike, featuring an aerial photograph of the mass grave being prepared for the young victims on the front page of its official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, on 6 March, under the stark headline “The Face of War.”

Leo expressed his solidarity with the families of those killed in attacks that have “hit schools, hospitals and residential centres.” He voiced particular concern regarding the war’s impact in Lebanon, where aid organisations are warning of an escalating humanitarian crisis.

The plight of Christian communities in southern Lebanon is of specific concern to the Vatican, given their historical role as a bulwark for Christians across the predominantly Muslim region.

For the two weeks following the commencement of the US-Israeli conflict, the Pope had limited his public statements to more muted calls for diplomacy and dialogue.

This approach was seemingly an effort to avoid positioning himself as a political counterweight to Donald Trump in America. His decision not to publicly name the US or Israel also aligns with the Vatican’s long-standing tradition of diplomatic neutrality.

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On Friday, for instance, in an address to priests attending a Vatican class on the sacrament of confession, Leo suggested the sacrament served as a workshop for restoring unity and peace.

He posed a poignant question: “One might well ask: do those Christians who bear grave responsibility in armed conflicts have the humility and courage to make a serious examination of conscience and to go to confession?”

Yet, while Pope Leo has sought to maintain an indirect and apolitical message to prevent inflaming tensions, some of his US cardinals and the Vatican secretary of state have adopted a more outspoken stance.

Cardinal Robert McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, declared the war morally unjustifiable.

Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich described as “sickening” the White House’s use of video game imagery in its social media communications about the conflict.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, rejected Washington’s assertion of a “preventive war.”

Nevertheless, he affirmed this week that the Holy See remains committed to open dialogue.

“The Holy See speaks with everyone, and when necessary we speak also with the Americans, with the Israelis and show them what to us are the solutions,” he stated.