Pope Leo XIV has described war as a “painful defeat” of negotiations while lamenting that violence and polarization has plunged the world into a “profound” crisis during a historic, peace-focused speech at the Spanish parliament Monday.
Leo XIV’s address to politicians in the Cortes Generales, the first by a pontiff, stressed that “peace demands diplomatic courage, ethical responsibility” and for countries to resolve disputes through international law.
His remarks come as Israel and Iran trade strikes in the worst escalation of the war since the April truce and on a day when the pope met Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, who has opposed the United…