Pope Leo XIV called for an immediate ceasefire on Sunday as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues, urging all parties to respect international law and protect civilians.

CatholicPhilly presents a weekly roundup of international news from Vatican News, the official news portal of the Holy See. The following report on the week of April 5, 2026 links to stories on VaticanNews.

Pope Leo XIV delivered his strongest condemnation yet of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, denouncing what he called a “delusion of omnipotence” and urging leaders to stop the fighting and negotiate. The intervention matters because it places the Vatican more openly against the moral logic of escalation at a moment when a fragile ceasefire and failed U.

Pope Leo XIV welcomed the ceasefire in the Middle East as “a sign of genuine hope" after what he described as “hours of extreme tension.”

The White House pushed back at the Vatican and defended praying for U.S. troops fighting in Iran after Pope Leo XIV warned that God rejects the prayers “of those who wage war,” Barron’s reported.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced the planned blockade after U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement, and the U.S. military said the blockade involving all Iranian ports would begin Monday at 10 a.