Pope Leo on Regime Change and International Right

April 25—During his flight back to Rome from Africa, Pope Leo XIV gave a press conference, answering questions in Italian, Spanish and English. The Holy See published a transcript in the original languages.

A Raiuno journalist asked whether he wishes for a regime change in Iran and what should be done to stop escalation.

“I’d like to begin by saying: we need to foster a new mindset, a culture of peace. So often, when we assess certain situations, the immediate response is we must intervene with violence, with war, by attacking. In what we’ve witnessed, many innocent people have died. I just saw a letter—which perhaps you’ve seen—from some of the families of the children who died on that first day of the attack. They speak of the fact that they have now lost their sons, their daughters—children who have died. And I say: [the issue is not] whether it is regime change; it is not regime change….

“The issue is how to promote the values in which we believe without the death of so many innocent people. The issue of Iran is clearly very complex. The very negotiations they’re trying to conduct: one day Iran says ‘yes,’ the United States says ‘no,’ and vice versa, and we don’t know where it’s headed. And this chaotic situation has arisen, one that’s critical for the global economy. But then there’s also an entire population in Iran of innocent people who are suffering because of this war. Whether regime change is the answer or not … [it] is unclear what the regime is at this moment, following the initial days of attacks by Israel and the United States against Iran.

“Rather, I would like to encourage the continuation of dialogue for peace: that the parties participate, that they seek, that they make every effort to promote peace. [In the face of] the threat of war [I say]: that international law be respected. It is very important that the innocent be protected, and this has not been the case in many places. I carry with me a photo of a Muslim child who, during my visit to Lebanon, was standing there holding a sign that read: ‘Welcome, Pope Leo!’ And then, in the final stages of the war, he was killed. There are so many human situations, and I think we must be able to think in this way. As the Church, I say again: As a pastor, I cannot be in favor of war, and I would like to encourage everyone to make efforts to seek answers that come from a culture of peace and not of hatred and division.”