Pope Leo XIV made an urgent appeal for an end to the fighting in the Middle East at Sunday’s traditional Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.

Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility to stop the tragedy of war “before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” said the head of the Catholic Church.

“The nations should shape their future with works of peace, not with violence and bloody conflicts,” the 69-year-old told the crowd following a major escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran which saw the US attack three nuclear programme facilities in Iran overnight.

This created a dramatic scenario that also includes Israel and Palestine, said the first US-born pope, stressing that no conflict is distant when human dignity is at stake.

“War does not solve problems,” said the pope. “On the contrary, it amplifies them and causes deep wounds in the history of peoples – wounds that take generations to heal.”

In addition, the suffering of the population, especially in Gaza and other areas, is in danger of being forgotten – precisely where humanitarian aid is needed more and more urgently, Leo said.