Pope Francis condemned this Wednesday (17) the Iranian missile attack carried out on the territory of Iraq and called on all parties to avoid an escalation of conflicts in the Middle East.
The pontiff expressed his “closeness and solidarity with the victims, all civilians, of the missile attack that hit an urban area of Erbil, capital of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan”, at the end of his traditional Wednesday general audience with the faithful.
Francisco said that “good relations between neighbors are not built with actions of this type, but with dialogue and collaboration.” The pope visited Iraq in 2021.
“I ask everyone to avoid any step that increases tension in the Middle East and in other war zones,” he said in front of thousands of faithful gathered in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.
The pope also asked for prayers for “the many victims of war,” specifically mentioning Ukraine, Gaza, Palestine and Israel.
The attack carried out by the Iranian regime deepened concern about the worsening of instability throughout the region since the war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas began on October 7, which also included allies of the Iranian regime from Lebanon, Syria , Iraq and Yemen.
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