The head of the Catholic Church issued a public appeal for peace this week as fighting between Israel and Iran continued to escalate across the Middle East.

Pope Leo released a video message Thursday asking God to guide global leaders away from war and toward diplomatic solutions as the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign against Iranian targets entered its sixth day. The remarks came as the conflict has expanded into a broader regional confrontation involving retaliatory attacks and heightened tensions throughout the region.

In the video, the pontiff prayed that national leaders would reconsider the use of military force and instead pursue dialogue to resolve international disputes.

“Lord, enlighten the leaders of the nations, so they may have the courage to abandon projects of death,” Leo said in the message. He also called on countries to renounce weapons and embrace diplomacy as a path to peace.

The video was released as Iranian forces continued launching strikes against Israeli and regional targets while Israel carried out attacks in Lebanon and other areas tied to Iran’s military network. The conflict has raised concerns about the possibility of a wider war across the Middle East.

The Vatican routinely publishes a video at the beginning of each month outlining the pope’s prayer intentions. For March, Leo’s focus is on global disarmament and peace. It was not immediately clear whether the message was recorded specifically in response to the current military campaign involving Iran and Israel.

The pope’s appeal followed unusually direct remarks from the Vatican’s chief diplomat criticizing the concept of “preventive war.”

While the Vatican often calls for peace during international crises, such explicit concerns about preventive warfare are relatively rare and reflect the seriousness with which church leaders view the current conflict.

In his video message, Leo framed the issue in broader moral terms, arguing that true global security cannot be achieved through force or fear.

Instead, he said lasting peace requires cooperation among nations built on trust, justice, and solidarity.