Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Of Manila Urge Immediate End To Middle East Conflict

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) [Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog amid US-Israel-Iran war for the latest regional developments.]

In his first-ever Urbi et Orbi (from the city to the world) message as supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV did not mince words and called for an immediate end to the war in the Middle East.

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"Let those who have weapons lay them down...Let those who have the power to unleash wars ⁠choose peace!" he said.

The first Pope from the United States, in his first Easter message, renewed pleas for peace and dialogue, and also condemned violence.

“We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent,” he noted.

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Easter is Christiandom's holiest occasion, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The war in the Middle East, however, overshadowed this year's commemoration.

From the Vatican to Manila -the centre of Roman Catholicism in Asia- the message is a resounding end to the US-Israel-Iran war. Manila Metropolitan Archbishop Jose Cardinal echoed Pope Leo's message and asked Filipinos to pray for peace in the Middle East.

Cardinal Advincula urged the faithful to pray for the end of war, noting the crisis is deeply affecting Filipinos, particularly the 2.4 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the region.

He said that Jesus' hardships are mirrored by those affected by the war.“A clear example of this is what's happening to the Middle East. While it is very far from us, we can really feel its effects,” Advincula underscored.

He added that the families of the OFWs worry about their kin in the Middle East while public transportation drivers in the Philippines are losing their livelihood because of skyrocketing fuel prices.

“Many families are suffering every day, that's why the war that is far from us scars our nation,” the Cardinal said.

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