RismadarVoice Reporters, June 17, 2026
Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday welcomed the deal between Iran and the United States to end their Middle East conflict, calling it the result of “encouraging work in dialogue and negotiation.”
It could be recalled that RISMADARMEDIA earlier this week reported that the US and Iran agreed to end the conflict, however, Leo expressed his “gratitude” to those who helped broker the negotiations.
His words: “I hope that this agreement will contribute to strengthening mutual trust, security, and stability in the Middle East by promoting paths of dialogue and cooperation between peoples,” he said during his weekly audience at the Vatican.
The 70-year-old pope also addressed the “painful” news from Ukraine, where Russia’s invasion has become Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II, dragging on longer than World War I. He prayed for “paths of dialogue… to make a just and lasting peace possible.”
“So many innocent victims, rescuers killed, churches and cultural heritage sites devastated by flames,” Leo said. “I am close to those mourning their loved ones, to the injured, and to those who, amidst the violence, continue to serve life with courage.”
