On Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV welcomed the announcement that Iran, the United States, and Israel had agreed to a two-week ceasefire.

The truce followed a sharp escalation in rhetoric a day earlier. On Tuesday, Donald Trump warned of a potential bombing campaign that could “destroy” Iranian civilization, writing on social media that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if Iran failed to reach a deal, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route.

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Speaking Tuesday evening in Castel Gandolfo before returning to Rome, Leo called Trump’s remarks “not acceptable,” saying they raised “questions certainly regarding international law, but even more, a moral question for the good of the people.”

The pope has invited all people of goodwill to join a prayer vigil for peace on April 11.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops also condemned the statement. Its president, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, urged Trump “to step back from the precipice of war and negotiate a just settlement for the sake of peace before more lives are lost,” while encouraging Catholics to join the pope’s vigil.

The ceasefire was announced after Iran said the agreement would allow it to formalize a new policy of charging ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, though the full terms remain unclear.

At the end of his Wednesday General Audience, Leo said he welcomed the news “with satisfaction and as a sign of deep hope.”

“Only through a return to negotiations can the war end,” he said, urging continued prayer to support ongoing diplomatic efforts.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, described the agreement as “a fragile truce.”

Despite the ceasefire, violence has continued in the region. The United Arab Emirates reported an Iranian missile barrage, Kuwait said it was responding to drones, and Iran claimed one of its oil refineries had come under attack.

In Tehran, demonstrators took to the streets after the announcement, chanting: “Death to America, death to Israel, death to compromisers!”