Pope calls for end to spiral of violence in Middle East

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an end to the spiral of violence in the Middle East, after the US and Israel attacked on Iran that prompted retaliatory strikes.

During his weekly Angelus prayer, he said stability and peace are not built through mutual threats or with weapons,but only through reasonable, genuine, and responsible dialogue. He also called for an urgent return to dialoguebetween Afghanistan and Pakistanwhich had clashed in recent days.