Pope Leo XIV offers prayers for those killed in protests in Iran, and in the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, during his weekly Angelus prayer, calling for dialogue and peace.
“My thoughts turn to what is happening these days in the Middle East, particularly in Iran and Syria, where persistent tensions are causing the deaths of many people,” the pontiff says at the Vatican.
“I hope and pray for the patient cultivation of dialogue and peace, for the common good of society as a whole.”
Leo also offers his prayers for the people of Ukraine following “particularly serious” Russian strikes focused on energy infrastructure.
The attacks were “hitting the civilian population hard, just as the cold weather is getting worse,” the head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics says
“I pray for those who are suffering and renew my appeal for an end to violence and for efforts to achieve peace to be intensified.”
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 11, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
