Pope Leo XIV issued his fourth denunciation since the strikes began Feb. 28, 2026 of President Donald Trump’s military campaign against Iran, cautioning that escalating violence could open ‘an irreparable abyss’ between nations as civilian deaths rise and U.S. service members return in flag-draped coffins.
Speaking from Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo, the 70-year-old pontiff from Chicago sharply criticized Operation Epic Fury, the large-scale land and air offensive Trump initiated against Iran on February 28 without approval from Congress. The campaign has already left eight American troops dead, destroyed an elementary school filled with young girls in Minab, and pushed the Middle East toward the edge of full-scale war.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also condemned the intensifying conflict, demanding an immediate ceasefire and warning that the strikes could spark “a wider regional conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability.”
“Stability and peace cannot be achieved through threats or weapons that bring destruction, pain, and death, but only through reasonable, genuine, and responsible dialogue,” Pope Leo XIV said in remarks that represented his harshest critique yet of the Trump administration’s Iran policy.
The Pope’s rebuke contrasts sharply with Trump’s emphatic defense of the mission. From Mar-a-Lago, the president vowed the attacks would “continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary” and would strike Iran “with a force that has never been seen before.”
The growing death toll paints a devastating picture. Iranian officials report more than 1,255 deaths since Trump ordered the strikes, with numbers rising during the first two weeks of fighting. Approximately 180 schoolgirls and staff were killed when the Minab elementary school was hit. In Tehran, 60 attacks occurred within one day alone, killing 57 people according to the Tehran Province Red Crescent Society. In Israel, at least 13 people have been killed and approximately 1,929 wounded in Iranian missile and drone attacks since the war began.
The operation succeeded in killing Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with about 40 senior commanders, including Abdolrahim Mousavi, head of Iran’s armed forces. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denounced the attack as “an open war against Muslims” and promised retaliation.
Pope Leo XIV condemned the conflict four times during the first week after the strikes began Feb. 28. During his Sunday Angelus on March 1, he told the crowds in St. Peter’s Square that he was “following with deep concern what is happening in the Middle East and Iran in these dramatic hours.” On March 3, he renewed his appeal, calling on global leaders to “truly seek to promote dialogue” and resolve issues “without weapons.”
Christopher Hale, a former Obama aide and editor of “Letters from Leo,” said sources close to the Pope labeled the Iran campaign “immoral, illegal, and a grave threat to the entire human family.” The Vatican had already declined Trump’s invitation for the Pope to join what the president dubbed his “Board of Peace.”
The pontiff has emerged as a leading critic of Trump since the president took office on Jan. 20, 2025. Pope Leo expressed alarm over Trump’s January capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, calling for respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty and the rule of law, and has continually condemned the administration’s treatment of detained migrants. He has excluded the United States from his international itinerary this year.
Iran’s counterstrikes have spread violence throughout the Gulf, targeting U.S. military bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Missiles streaked over Dubai, triggering explosions across the city. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin labeled Khamenei’s killing “murder” and “a cynical violation of all norms of human morality.”
In the most recent escalation, the U.S. military destroyed Iranian naval vessels, including 16 minelayers, near the Strait of Hormuz after Tehran began laying mines in the critical waterway, pushing oil prices past $100 a barrel and raising fears of a global energy crisis.
Trump maintained a combative tone on Truth Social, warning Iran on March 1: “THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!” He admitted American casualties might rise, saying in his address announcing the operation that such losses “often happen in war,” but insisted “we’re doing this not for now, we’re doing this for the future and it is a noble mission.”
In his Lenten message delivered before the conflict erupted, the Pope urged people to “cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities.” He encouraged the faithful to ensure “words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace.”
By Wednesday, March 12, neither side appeared ready to withdraw. Tehran has been turned into a battlefield, and Israeli cities remain on high alert as missile threats continue. The Minab school tragedy, which killed around 180 schoolgirls and staff, has become a rallying point for critics questioning whether Operation Epic Fury’s strategic gains could ever justify the human suffering.
Pope Leo XIV concluded his Tuesday, March 3, remarks with a plea that feels distant from current realities: “May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld. And let us continue to pray for peace.”
On March 8, Pope Leo issued a fourth appeal, telling roughly 15,000 pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square that “deeply disturbing news continues to arrive from Iran and the entire Middle East,” and praying that “the thunderous sound of bombs may cease, weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open up.” Trump, meanwhile, has demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender.” Iran has vowed it will never surrender.
As of March 12, seven U.S. service members have been confirmed killed in Operation Epic Fury. Six Army Reserve members died March 1 in a drone strike on a command center in Kuwait: Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45; Capt. Cody Khork, 35; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42; Sgt. Declan Coady, 20; and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54. Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 26, died March 8 from wounds sustained during a March 1 attack at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Approximately 140 additional U.S. service members have been wounded, with eight remaining in critical condition.
The bombing was continuing as of March 12.