2026-01-11T16:15:52+00:00

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Shafaq News– Vatican City

Pope Leo XIV called, after the Sunday Angelus prayer, for
dialogue and peace in the Middle East, particularly in Iran and Syria, where
ongoing tensions continue to claim lives.

Pope Leo prays for Iran and Syria:”My thoughts turn to the situation currently unfolding in the Middle East, especially in Iran and Syria, where ongoing tensions continue to claim many lives. I hope and pray that dialogue and peace may be patiently nurtured in pursuit of the… pic.twitter.com/ktCB7j9t4z

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) January 11, 2026

The pontiff referred to fighting in Aleppo’s Ashrafieh and
Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods, which has left at least 21 civilians dead,
injured dozens, and displaced more than 155,000 people. The clashes involved
Syrian government forces and the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish),
which operate under the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and
coordinate with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Pope Leo prays for Iran and Syria, saying he hopes “dialogue and peace will be cultivated with patience, in pursuit of the common good of the whole society.”https://t.co/Icega5tPxU

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) January 11, 2026

In Iran, protests erupted in late December 2025 following a
record fall in the value of the
Iranian rial below 144,00 for one dollar, and quickly escalated into clashes
with police, accompanied by slogans opposing the current political system. According
to Iranian media, Iranian security forces have carried out mass arrests,
detaining at least 100 people in Lorestan province alone.