Cardinal Parolin urges Trump and Israel to halt the war, warning of escalation as Vatican envoys deliver aid and peace messages across war-torn Lebanon.
Newsroom (19/03/2026 Gaudium Press) Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin has urged U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli leaders to seek a rapid end to the ongoing conflict that continues to devastate Lebanon and threaten regional stability. Speaking on the sidelines of a book presentation at Italy’s Chamber of Deputies, Parolin warned that “the real danger is that an escalation is just around the corner” if hostilities do not cease immediately.
“If I were face to face with President Trump,” he said, “I would tell him to put an end to it as soon as possible… I would say: leave Lebanon alone.” The same appeal, he added, applies to Israel, urging its leadership to use “the peaceful paths of diplomacy and dialogue” to resolve perceived or real disputes.
The comments came during the presentation of Leo XIV: Who Do You Say I Am? I Am a Son of Saint Augustine, a new book about the American-born Pope Leo XIV, whose pontificate has been marked by a strong focus on reconciliation and humanitarian engagement. Cardinal Parolin described working alongside Pope Leo as “very easy,” citing “a fruitful exchange” and “a good relationship” rooted in listening and mutual respect.
Humanitarian Mission to a War Zone
While Parolin articulated the Vatican’s diplomatic stance, the Holy See’s on-the-ground representatives were witnessing the toll of the conflict firsthand. On March 16, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, the Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon, traveled from Beirut to the country’s south, reaching areas near the Blue Line — the demarcation between Lebanon and Israel.
He described scenes of devastation as “deserted areas with not a living soul,” punctuated by “rubble everywhere, a painful silence broken only by mortar fire.” His mission was to deliver humanitarian aid and convey a threefold message of “closeness, peace, and hope.”
It was his second trip within a week to communities under relentless bombardment, caught between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants. The nuncio visited the towns of Rmeish, Debel, and Ain Ebel, joined by a Caritas Solidarity convoy carrying six trucks of essential supplies and medicine. True to his pastoral role, Archbishop Borgia personally helped unload aid packages and comfort displaced families as they sheltered in church buildings and makeshift camps.
“A Closeness of the Heart”
Speaking by phone to Vatican News, Archbishop Borgia emphasized that his mission was guided by compassion and presence: “I visited several shelters hosting refugees from nearby villages, first and foremost to bring a message of closeness — a closeness of the heart, the closeness of the Holy Father, of the universal Church, and of all those who today stand by the Lebanese people living through this time of war.”
He recalled Pope Leo XIV’s recent Sunday Angelus appeal, in which the pontiff “amplified the cry for peace voiced by Middle Eastern Christians and all men and women of goodwill.” Borgia carried those same words, offering residents hope amid destruction: “That flame continues to shine even in moments of darkness like these.”
Fear at the Frontier
In Ain Ebel, the nuncio visited the site where an Israeli drone had recently killed three civilians conducting repairs outside their homes. In nearby Rmeish—the southernmost municipality of Lebanon—he met with Maronite priest Father Toni Elias and residents determined to remain despite intensifying attacks.
“The danger is growing,” Borgia said solemnly, “as is fear for an increasingly uncertain future. This is war.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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