Pope Leo has strongly condemned the killing of protesters in Iran and the loss of civilian lives in war, during remarks made after returning from a four-country tour in Africa.
He also expressed regret over the failure of peace talks between the United States and Iran, emphasizing that unjust actions that take human lives must be condemned.
Speaking aboard a flight to Rome, Pope Leo was asked about reports of thousands of protesters being killed in Iran. He stated: “I condemn all actions that are unjust. I condemn the taking of human lives. When a regime, when a country makes decisions that take the lives of others unjustly, then obviously this is something that must be condemned.”
His remarks come after criticism from Donald Trump, who had accused the Pope of failing to respond to the killings of protesters in Iran and publicly attacked him on social media.
“Can someone tell Pope Leo about the deaths of Iranian protesters,” Trump wrote on April 12, describing him as “terrible” following his stance against the war in Iran and U.S. anti-immigration policies.
According to human rights groups, Iranian authorities have killed thousands of people during anti-government protests in January, considered the most serious internal unrest since the Iranian Revolution. They also report that repression against opponents has continued during the conflict, while this week Tehran carried out another execution.
