Pope Leo
The Pope’s remarks to reporters on the papal plane returning from a visit to Africa came after President Donald Trump criticized the pope’s stance on the Middle East conflict.
During the in-flight press conference, the pope also addressed the issue of immigration, saying that in some cases immigrants are treated “worse than pets.”
America’s first pope told CNN last month that he hoped President Trump would find a “way out” to end the Iran war, and expressed opposition to justifying the conflict on religious grounds. But hours before the Pope departed for Africa on April 13, the US president harshly criticized him.
“As a pastor, I cannot support war,” Leo told reporters who accompanied him from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. “I would like to encourage everyone to strive to find answers that come from a culture of peace, not from a place of hate and division.”
Leo said the US and Israeli bombing of Iran has created a “messy situation for the world economy” and that “the entire population of Iran, innocent people, are suffering because of this war.” Highlighting the human cost of the conflict, the pope revealed that he held a sign welcoming his visit to Japan late last year, carrying a photo of a Lebanese Muslim boy who died in the war.
“The Iranian issue is obviously very complex,” he told reporters who accompanied him from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, to Rome. “The negotiations that they’re trying to have, at some point Iran will say yes and the United States will say no, or vice versa, and we don’t know where it’s going to go.”
Leo said the focus should be on preventing “so many innocent deaths” whether there is a change of government or not. He cited a letter from the families of schoolchildren who died on the first day of the Iran war.
“For me, it’s not clear whether there will be a regime change or not, what the regime is like at this point in time after the first few days of the Israeli and US attacks on Iran,” he said.
The pope, who alternated between English, Spanish and Italian when answering questions, also criticized the Iranian regime’s killing of protesters in his first remarks on the issue.
Asked if he condemned the deadly crackdown on protests in Tehran in January, Leo said: “I condemn all injustice. I condemn the taking of people’s lives. I condemn the death penalty. I believe that human life should be respected.” “When a regime or a country makes a decision that unjustly takes the lives of people, it is clearly reprehensible.”
The pope, who just completed his longest trip abroad since his election last May, also touched on another issue that has been at odds with the Trump administration: immigration.
“They are human beings and we must treat them in a humane manner, often no worse than domestic pets and animals,” the pope said in response to a question about the immigration debate in Spain.
The pope noted that countries have “the right to implement rules regarding their borders.” But he said people should not “enter the country in an unregulated manner and, in some cases, create an even more unfair situation at the place of arrival than at the place of departure.”
But Leo, who spent years in Peru as a missionary and bishop, called on wealthy countries in the Global North, such as those he visited during his travels, to support countries in the Global South.
“Africa is seen by many as a place to travel to consume its minerals,” Pope said. “I say at the global level we have to do more to promote greater justice and equality in the development of African countries, so they don’t have to migrate elsewhere.”
During his trip to Africa, Leo visited four countries, including Equatorial Guinea, which is ruled by a regime considered one of the most repressive in the world. The Pope said the Holy See’s diplomatic relations with countries with authoritarian leaders do not constitute recognition of them, but provide an opportunity to work “behind the scenes to promote justice and promote humanitarian causes.” The Pope stressed to reporters that his visit to Africa was primarily “pastoral” and not political.
The Pope was also asked about the church’s debate over homosexuality, with Leo reiterating the Vatican’s opposition to formal blessings of same-sex couples beyond Pope Francis’ December 2023 ruling. Francis has opened the possibility for same-sex couples to receive an informal blessing, but German bishops are calling for a more formal blessing ceremony. Leo said homosexuality was a “topic that could cause more discord than unity”, citing the welcoming approach pursued by Francis. He also said the Catholic Church should not focus too much on sexual issues.
“When the church talks about morality, we tend to think that moral issues are only sexual issues,” he says. “And the reality is that there are bigger and more important issues like justice, equality, freedom for men and women, freedom of religion, and I believe that all of those things outweigh that issue.”
The Pope’s trip to Africa will be the longest of his papacy, and his next trip will be to Spain from June 6th to 12th.
