The situation in the Middle East, Leo added, “is only provoking more hatred.” He urged leaders to “come back to the table” and find a peaceful solution to end the war as he pointed out that attacks on civilian infrastructure go against international law.
“Let’s remember especially the innocent children, the elderly, the sick, so many people who have already become or will become victims of this continued warfare,” he said.
Leo also called on citizens of all the countries involved to contact political leaders and “tell them to work for peace and to reject war.”
In a statement to POLITICO, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said, “The Iranian people welcome the sound of bombs because it means their oppressors are losing.”
“The President will always stand with innocent civilians while annihilating the terrorists responsible for threatening our country and the entire world with a nuclear weapon,” Kelly said. “Greater destruction can be avoided if the regime understands the seriousness of this moment and makes a deal with the United States.”
Trump has given Iran until 8 p.m. Tuesday evening to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed almost entirely for the last several weeks as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran rages on. If a deal is not reached, Trump threatened, the U.S. will begin striking critical civilian infrastructure like power plants and bridges.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump said in a post to social media.
While he left open the possibility that “maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?” Trump said, “We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World.”
Leo is not the only religious official to condemn Trump’s latest threat.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, led by Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, called on Trump to “step back from the precipice of war and negotiate a just settlement” before more lives are lost.
“The threat of destroying a whole civilization and the intentional targeting of civilian infrastructure cannot be morally justified,” Coakley said. “There are other ways to resolve conflict between peoples.