ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Leo XIV called on the United States and Iran to return to negotiations to end ongoing conflict, while also strongly condemning capital punishment during a press conference en route home from his Africa visit.
The pope urged a shift toward what he described as a “culture of peace” and away from recurring cycles of violence in international conflicts. His remarks followed a trip marked by public exchanges between him and U.S. President Donald Trump over the war.
Pope Leo said the central issue is not regime change in Iran but how to uphold shared values without the loss of civilian lives. He also shared that he carries a photograph of a Muslim Lebanese boy killed in the recent Israel-Hezbollah conflict, noting the child had once welcomed him during a visit to Lebanon.
“As a pastor I cannot be in favor of war,” he said, adding that global responses to conflict should be rooted in peace rather than hatred and division.
On reported executions in Iran, the pope said he condemns “all actions that are unjust” and explicitly included capital punishment in his remarks.
“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,” he said.
He added that when governments take unjust decisions resulting in loss of life, such actions must be condemned. The Catholic Church under Pope Francis had already declared capital punishment immoral in all cases.
Pope Leo also addressed migration policy, affirming that states have the right to regulate their borders but warning against inhumane treatment of migrants.
“I personally believe that a state has the right to impose rules for its frontiers,” he said, while also asking what wealthier nations are doing to address conditions in poorer countries that force migration.
Migrants, he stressed, must always be treated with dignity and not “worse than house pets, animals.”
On internal church matters, the pope reiterated the Vatican’s position regarding blessings for same-sex couples. He noted that while informal blessings had been permitted, formalized or ritualized blessings were not approved.
He said the issue of unity in the Catholic Church should not be centered on sexual morality alone, arguing that broader concerns such as justice, equality, and religious freedom carry greater weight.
“I think it’s very important to understand that the unity or division of the church should not revolve around sexual matters,” he said.
Pope Leo also reflected on his Africa trip, describing his approach as pastoral rather than political, and emphasizing the Vatican’s diplomatic work, including efforts to secure the release of political prisoners.
He said discreet diplomacy can sometimes achieve more than public condemnation, even as he acknowledged that his visits were interpreted through political and social lenses in the countries he visited.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
- EDGARDO HERNAL
- EDGARDO HERNAL
- EDGARDO HERNAL
- EDGARDO HERNAL
