THE SILENCE IS OVER: THE POPE MUST SPEAK TO THE WORLD NOW

U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with his national security team in the White House Situation Room to make crucial decisions regarding American policy in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, according to three U.S. officials cited by Axios. Reliable sources reveal that Trump is seriously considering entering the war directly and launching an American attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, particularly the underground uranium enrichment site at Fordow—a clear sign of a potential global escalation. The United States is weighing its participation in Israel's military campaign against Iran, a fact confirmed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who emphasized the imminent risk of a widening conflict involving the world's major powers. It is in this dire and dangerous context that we appeal to the Holy Father, Pope Leo XVI, to go beyond words spoken at the Angelus or during homilies, beyond symbolic gestures, beyond the silence heavy with sorrow. Holy Father, we call for an intervention that is not ritual but extraordinary, that breaks the mold of ecclesiastical diplomacy and strikes directly at the hearts and minds of those who still have the power to stop catastrophe. We ask you to speak to the entire world with strength and clarity, using every available means of communication—television, radio, social media, digital platforms—in all languages, on every continent, because the world needs to hear a voice of peace that stands firmly against the madness of those who believe themselves divinely appointed to sow death and destruction. We do not need veiled speeches or wavering diplomacy—we need a thousand words of fire, words that are clear, human, universal, words that call leaders to responsibility, that awaken consciences, that expose the false rhetoric of war, that stir even the most indifferent believers. A message that recalls your predecessors: Pius XII, who lived in the shadow of bombs, and Benedict XV, whose voice went unheard amid the clatter of bayonets. Holy Father, now it is your turn—history is watching, listening, and taking measure. Men and women await a sign, not from military commands but from the heights of human conscience—a warning that says "enough," that breaks the tragic illusion of the just war, that reminds humanity that no faith, no god, no sacred text can ever justify the destruction of life. Holy Father, we ask you to step out of the silence of the palaces and into the homes, the phones, the hearts of people everywhere with a simple, powerful message—broadcast live around the world, translated into every language, in every country, with no compromise, no ambiguity. Let it say clearly: stop. Let it boldly proclaim the prophetic vision of "disarming and disarmed peace," a vision only the truly great have the courage to speak aloud. The world cannot wait another Sunday, cannot wait for another liturgy. We need a voice today—now—and that voice can only be yours.

Marco Baratto