Pope Leo XIV. Photo: Collected

VATICAN CITY, March 1, 2026 (BSs/AFP) - Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an end to the "spiral of violence" in the Middle East, after the US and Israel began an attack on Iran that prompted retaliatory strikes.

"Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I appeal to the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable chasm," the pope told a crowd of faithful in St Peter's Square.