Pope Leo appeals for ‘reason' amid Israel-Iran airstrikes, calls for dialogue
Pope Leo XIV told an audience in St Peter's Basilica he was following the situation with 'great concern'. PHOTO: REUTERS
VATICAN CITY - Pope Leo appealed on June 14 for the authorities in Iran and Israel to act with 'reason' after recent airstrikes and to pursue dialogue.
He told an audience in St Peter's Basilica he was following the situation with 'great concern'.
'In such a delicate moment, I strongly wish to renew an appeal to responsibility and to reason,' said the Pope.
'The commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue to build a lasting peace, founded on justice, fraternity, and the common good,' he said.
'No one should ever threaten the existence of another,' said Pope Leo. 'It is the duty of all countries to support the cause of peace, initiating paths of reconciliation and promoting solutions that guarantee security and dignity for all.' REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
23 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Yemen's Houthis target Israel with ballistic missiles in coordination with Iran
CAIRO - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Sunday that they targeted Israel in coordination with Iran, the first time an Iran-aligned group has publicly announced joint cooperation on attacks with Tehran. The Yemeni group targeted central Israel's Jaffa with several ballistic missiles in the last 24 hours, military spokesperson Yehya Sarea said in a televised address. "Triumphing for the oppressed Palestinian and Iranian operation was coordinated with the operations carried out by the Iranian army against the criminal Israeli enemy," he added. The Israeli military earlier said sirens were activated in several areas in the country following missile launches from Iran and Yemen. Israel and Iran continued to exchange missile attacks since Israel launched its biggest-ever military strike against its longstanding enemy on Friday. On the same day Israel launched its attack on Iran, Israel said a missile that was launched from Yemen towards Israel fell in Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The Yemeni group however did not claim responsibility for the missile launch. The Houthis have been launching attacks against Israel, most of which have been intercepted, in what they say is support for Palestinians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war there since Hamas's October 7 2023 attack on Israel. Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes. The U.S. also launched intensified strikes against the Houthis this year, before President Donald Trump halted the offensive after the Houthis agreed to stop attacks on American ships. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
South Korea's Lee plans to hold bilateral talks at G7 summit, his office says
FILE PHOTO: South Korean President Lee Jae-myung delivers a speech during a ceremony to mark the 70th Memorial Day at the Seoul National Cemetery in Seoul, South Korea, 06 June 2025. JEON HEON-KYUN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo South Korea's Lee plans to hold bilateral talks at G7 summit, his office says SEOUL - South Korean President Lee Jae-myung plans to hold bilateral talks with the leaders of countries attending the G7 summit, with details still being coordinated, his office said on Sunday. Lee will depart on Monday for the summit in Canada, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac told a briefing. The presidential office said Seoul was open to holding trilateral talks with Washington and Tokyo, the Yonhap news agency reported. Lee was also preparing for potential talks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in case he attends, Yonhap said, citing a presidential office official. "By engaging with the leaders of the United States and Japan, we can explore ways to resolve pending economic and trade issues such as tariffs," Wi said. Lee plans to hold meetings with leaders of key countries before and after attending the extended session of the summit, Wi added, without naming countries. Seoul and Washington are holding working-level tariff talks, crucial for South Korea's export-oriented economy, with key sectors from chips to vehicles and shipbuilding heavily exposed to global trade. U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on South Korea, a long time ally with which it has a bilateral free trade deal, and pressed it to pay more for the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed there. Lee, a liberal, was elected on June 3 after former conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached and ousted over his short-lived declaration of martial law last year. The visit will mark Lee's first diplomatic trip since taking office. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Japan's Ishiba heads to G7 to press Trump to drop auto tariffs
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump holds a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the East Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 7, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba heads to Canada on Sunday for trade talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, hoping to persuade him to drop trade tariffs that have imperilled Japan's auto companies and threaten to undermine his fragile government. The two are expected to meet on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of Seven nations in Kananaskis, Alberta, for their second in-person encounter. It follows a sixth round of high-level trade talks in Washington on Friday. Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, said he explored the possibility of an deal in detailed meetings with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The trick for Ishiba, who spoke with Trump by phone on Friday, will be to get the president to drop the 25% tariff he imposed on Japanese cars, as well as a paused 24% across-the-board levy that Trump calls a reciprocal tariff, without making concessions that could hurt the prime minister's public support at home. Returning to Tokyo with no deal would be better politically than conceding too much, analysts say. "If it goes badly, it could even be seen as a positive for Ishiba, standing up to Trump and standing up for his country when he's under assault," said Michael Cucek, a political science professor at Temple University in Tokyo. Ishiba and his ruling Liberal Democratic Party face an upper house election next month that comes after a lower house loss in November that left him reliant on the support of other parties to stay in power. Another poor electoral result could bring down his government and would force Trump to reset trade talks with a new Japanese administration. "The most important thing is that Ishiba does not cave in for a bad (auto) deal," said Joseph Kraft, a financial political analyst at Rorschach Advisory in Tokyo. "I expect there will be some kind of deal, although it could be haphazard. Trump needs some good news and I don't think he has much interest in G7 activities." Failing to reach an agreement in Canada might not have an immediate economic impact on Japan, but tariffs that stay in place will eventually drag down growth, said Asuka Tatebayashi, senior analyst at Mizuho Bank. "If you look at the data for car exports to the U.S. for April, it was quite striking. The volume in dollars was down by nearly 5%, but the number of cars has increased a lot," she said. "It means either they are only selling cheap cars or the manufacturers are absorbing the cost. I think the latter is the case and this is not very sustainable." Tariffs could shave 0.9% off Japan's gross domestic product, Mizuho Research & Technologies estimated in a report in April. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
