In a forceful address from the Apostolic Palace, Pope Leo XIV has called for a total ban on aerial military strikes, describing aeroplanes as 'carriers of peace, never of war.' His Holiness warned that the world has entered a dangerous state where 'war is back in vogue,' and innocent civilians have become the primary targets of automated and aerial aggression. This moral plea comes as a new wave of terror strikes the heart of Europe, with the group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin claiming responsibility for bombings at synagogues and financial centres in Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

The Pope’s message is a necessary reminder that modern warfare has become a clinical, detached exercise in destruction. When bombs fall from the clouds, the humanity of the victim is obscured by the technology of the aggressor. In the Netherlands, four teenagers were arrested following explosions aimed at instilling 'serious fear' in the Jewish community, a symptom of the same disregard for the sacredness of life that the Pontiff condemned. As the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran escalates into the fourth week, the risk of a global conflagration grows, fuelled by a leadership that prioritises tactical dominance over human stories. We must heed the call for mercy before the cycle of retribution consumes the remaining foundations of international order.