Pope’s sharp rebuke
At a peace vigil in St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV denounced the 'delusion of omnipotence' he says is fuelling the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and called for leaders to negotiate. (apnews.com) Vatican News also says the Pope will visit Algeria on April 13 as 'a messenger of peace.' (vaticannews.va)
Pope Leo XIV used a Vatican peace vigil on April 11 to demand negotiations, calling the war in Iran a product of a “delusion of omnipotence.” (apnews.com) He spoke during an evening prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica, his sharpest public condemnation yet of the United States-Israeli war in Iran. The vigil came the same day the United States and Iran began face-to-face talks in Pakistan while a ceasefire held. (abcnews.com) In the text of the prayer released afterward, Leo said, “Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!” He framed prayer as a response to violence and urged political leaders to choose dialogue. (americamagazine.org) The remarks place the Vatican more directly into a fast-moving Middle East crisis that now includes open fighting, ceasefire diplomacy and talks involving Washington and Tehran. Leo’s language also goes beyond the general anti-war appeals popes often make by naming the moral logic he says is driving the conflict. (reuters.com) The timing is also tied to Leo’s first trip to Africa as pope, which begins Sunday, April 13, in Algeria. Vatican officials have cast the April 13-23 journey to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as a mission centered on peace and interreligious dialogue. (vaticannews.va) Algeria is the opening stop, and the Vatican says Leo will arrive in Algiers on April 13 before meetings with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, civil authorities and Muslim leaders at the Great Mosque of Algiers. He is also scheduled to meet the local Catholic community at the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa. (vatican.va) The Algeria leg carries extra symbolism because Leo is the first Augustinian pope, and he will travel on April 14 to Annaba, near ancient Hippo, where Saint Augustine served as bishop. National Catholic Reporter described the stop as a spiritual homecoming tied to Leo’s religious order as well as his papacy. (ncronline.org) Vatican News said Leo is going to Algeria as “a messenger of peace,” a phrase that now echoes the warning he delivered in St. Peter’s Basilica one night before departure. The next test is whether his public appeal for talks keeps pace with the ceasefire and the new negotiations he wants leaders to pursue. (vaticannews.va)
