Vatican sees Washington-Tehran deal as chance for regional stability

Pope Leo XIV welcomed the agreement reached between Iran and the United States, which is to be signed today in Switzerland, calling it "the encouraging result of patient work of dialogue and negotiation," AFP reports. During the general audience at the Vatican, the Pontiff expressed his hope that the agreement would contribute to strengthening mutual trust and strengthening security in the Middle East. "I hope that this agreement will contribute to strengthening mutual trust, security and stability in the Middle East, by promoting paths of dialogue and cooperation between peoples," the pope said. He also thanked the states that facilitated contacts between the two parties. Washington and Tehran reached an agreement this week aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East, which erupted in late February and resulted in thousands of victims, especially in Iran and Lebanon. The document is to be initialed in Switzerland, and a two-month period of negotiations is planned afterwards, which would also include a first stage of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

• Call for peace in Ukraine too

Aged 70, the first American pope also referred to the war in Ukraine, which he said "continues to expand”, launching a new call for dialogue and reconciliation. "Paths of dialogue are needed that can extinguish hatred and make a just and lasting peace possible”, said Pope Leo XIV. The Sovereign Pontiff lamented the large number of victims and the destruction caused by the conflict triggered by the Russian invasion, which has become the bloodiest war in Europe since World War II. "So many innocent victims, rescuers killed, churches and cultural heritage sites devastated by the flames,” he said. The Pope also sent a message of solidarity to the bereaved families, the injured and those who continue to help their fellow human beings amidst the violence.