Pope Leo praises Iran war ceasefire after criticizing Trump threat

VATICAN CITY, April 8 (Reuters) - Pope Leo on Wednesday praised the ‌two-week ceasefire in the Iran war, hours after calling U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat against the population of Iran “unacceptable”.

The pope, who has ​emerged as an outspoken critic of the war ​in recent weeks, said he welcomed the ⁠announcement of the ceasefire with satisfaction and urged ​continued negotiation to bring a full end to the ​regional conflict.

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“In light of these past hours of great tension for the Middle East and for the whole world, I ​welcome with satisfaction… the announcement of an immediate ​two-week truce,” Leo, the first U.S. pope, said in his ‌weekly ⁠audience.

“Only through a return to negotiation can an end to the war be achieved,” he said.

Leo, who is known for choosing his words carefully, has ​been ramping up ​his criticism ⁠of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

After Trump threatened Iran on Tuesday that “a whole ​civilization will die tonight” if the ​country ⁠did not meet U.S. demands for a truce, Leo told journalists that threat was “truly unacceptable”.

It is rare for the ⁠pope, ​who leads 1.4 billion Catholics ​around the world, to respond directly to a world leader.

Reporting by ​Joshua McElwee, editing by Giulia Segreti and Toby Chopra

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