Pope Leo XIV urged the United States and Iran to return to peace talks Thursday, condemning capital punishment and warning that innocent lives continue to be lost in the stalled diplomacy over the Strait of Hormuz.
The pontiff made the appeal aboard the papal plane returning from an 11-day pastoral visit to Africa, where he had celebrated Mass in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. His comments came as a fragile ceasefire in place since April 8 faced renewed strain from mutual blockades in the strategic waterway.
Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz in early March, halting up to 20% of global oil shipments, prompting the U.S. To bar ships from entering or exiting Iranian ports. Pope Leo said the tit-for-tat standoff has created a chaotic situation critical to the world economy, with Iran and the U.S. Alternating positions on negotiations.
“One day Iran says ‘yes,’ the United States says ‘no,’ and vice versa,” he told reporters. “We don’t know where this is going to lead.”
He condemned Iran’s recent executions of political opponents, stating that capital punishment and the taking of lives unjustly must be rejected. “I condemn the taking of people’s lives. I condemn capital punishment. I believe human life is to be respected and that all people from conception to natural death, their lives should be respected and protected.”
Pope Leo noted he carries a photo of a Muslim Lebanese boy killed in Israel’s war with Hezbollah, who had welcomed him during a visit to Lebanon last year. “As a pastor be in favor of war,” he said. “I would like to encourage everyone to find responses that come from a culture of peace and not hatred and division.”
For more on this story, see Pope Leo XIV Urges World Leaders to End War in First Easter Address.
On migration, he affirmed states’ rights to control borders but criticized the treatment of migrants, saying they must not be worse off than animals. He placed responsibility on wealthier nations to address root causes of displacement rather than blaming those fleeing poverty.
The Pope’s remarks have drawn criticism from U.S. Political figures invoking just war theory. Vice President J.D. Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and others have questioned his theological authority, while President Donald Trump has called him “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” and shared an AI-generated image of himself in a Christ-like manner.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has also faced scrutiny for framing military action in overtly Christian terms. In Cameroon last Thursday, the Pope warned, “Woe to those who manipulate religion for military or political gain.”
The exchanges have highlighted the Catholic Church’s just war doctrine, which evaluates when force is morally justified and how hostilities must be conducted. While overlapping with international law on self-defense and conduct in war, the doctrine remains distinct in its moral framework.
This follows our earlier report, Hungarian Bishops Condemn Donald Trump’s Attacks on Pope Leo XIV.
Why is the Pope focusing on capital punishment in his appeal for peace?
He views the taking of life through state executions as inherently unjust and contrary to the Church’s teaching that human life must be protected from conception to natural death, a position formalized under Pope Francis.
How does the just war doctrine relate to the Pope’s criticism of the Iran-U.S. Standoff?
The doctrine provides a moral framework for assessing whether war is justified and how it should be conducted, which the Pope invokes to argue that current hostilities fail both criteria due to civilian harm and lack of peaceful alternatives.
What role do wealthier nations play in the Pope’s view of the migration crisis?
He argues that wealthy countries must create opportunities in poorer nations to prevent forced displacement, rather than restricting borders or blaming migrants seeking survival.
