'Stop the war before it becomes an irreparable abyss,' Pope Leo says during Sunday prayer

Pope Leo XIV issued a powerful appeal during Sunday's prayers in St. Peter's Square, saying, "Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility" to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an "irreparable abyss."

He spoke amid escalating U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, warning that no military victory can compensate for "the pain of mothers, the fear of children, the stolen future."

Describing the situation in the Middle East as "alarming," the pope urged diplomacy to replace weapons and criticized how humanitarian suffering risked being overshadowed.