Pope Leo XIV used his return flight from Africa to deliver a wide-ranging address that blended geopolitics, church doctrine, and human rights, calling for renewed diplomacy between the United States and Iran while also commenting on capital punishment and migration.

Speaking to reporters during the press conference, Leo said the world needed to move away from violence as a default response to conflict, especially in the wake of the public tensions between him and U.S. President Donald Trump over the Iran war during his trip.

He pressed for a revival of negotiations between the United States and Iran, tagging it as part of a broader shift toward what he described as a “culture of peace.”

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According to him, the real issue was not regime change in Iran but how global actors pursue their values without causing mass civilian suffering. “The question should be about how to promote the values we believe in without the deaths of so many innocents.”

The pope also shared a personal moment from his travels, saying he carries a photograph of a Muslim Lebanese boy killed in Israel’s recent war with Hezbollah. The child had once been pictured holding a welcome sign for him during a previous visit to Lebanon.

“As a pastor I cannot be in favor of war,” he told journalists aboard the papal plane, according to the AP’s report. “I would like to encourage everyone to find responses that come from a culture of peace and not hatred and division.”

On the subject of executions in Iran, Leo broadened his criticism beyond a single country, condemning what he described as unjust state actions, including the death penalty itself.

“I condemn the taking of people’s lives. I condemn capital punishment. I believe human life is to be respected and that all people from conception to natural (death), their lives should be respected and protected.

“So when a regime, when a country takes decisions which take away the lives of other people unjustly, then obviously that is something that should be condemned,” he said.

His stance aligns with reforms under Pope Francis, who declared capital punishment unacceptable under all circumstances in updated Catholic social teaching.

Turning to migration, Leo acknowledged the legitimacy of border controls, saying states have the authority to regulate entry. At the same time, he warned that unmanaged migration flows can produce new injustices in destination countries.

“I personally believe that a state has the right to impose rules for its frontiers,” he said. “But saying this, I ask: ‘What are we doing in the wealthier countries to change the situation in poorer countries’ to provide opportunities so that people aren’t compelled to leave?”

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He stressed that migrants must be treated with dignity regardless of legal status, rejecting any treatment that reduces their humanity “worse than house pets, animals.”

The pope was also questioned about developments in Germany, where Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich, has supported pastoral guidelines encouraging formalized blessings for same-sex couples.

Those guidelines stem from decisions linked to a German church reform body made up of bishops and lay representatives seeking greater influence in governance. While the Vatican authorized informal blessings in 2023, it explicitly cautioned against turning them into structured rites.

Leo reiterated that position, saying the Holy See had already communicated its opposition to formalization. He noted that “we do not agree with the formalized blessing” of gay couples or others in what the church classifies as “irregular situations.”

The 2023 Vatican declaration itself sparked global division, particularly in Africa, where several bishops rejected its application, citing both doctrinal concerns and local legal contexts in which homosexuality remains criminalized.

Asked how he intends to preserve unity in such a fractured environment, Leo shifted to a broader reflection on church priorities. He suggested that debates over sexual morality have come to overshadow wider ethical questions.

“I think it’s very important to understand that the unity or division of the church should not revolve around sexual matters,” he said. “We tend to think that when the church is talking about morality, that the only issue of morality is sexual.

“And in reality, I believe that there are much greater and more important issues such as justice, equality, freedom of men and women, freedom of religion that would all take priority before that particular issue.”

The remarks stand out for their emphasis on rebalancing Catholic moral discourse, particularly given Leo’s American background and the prominence of sexual ethics debates in Western church contexts.

Throughout the flight, Leo appeared conscious of how his Africa tour had been interpreted internationally, including scrutiny over his restrained public criticism of political leaders accused of corruption or authoritarian rule.

While he avoided direct confrontations in most settings, he leaned on measured language and indirect appeals rather than explicit condemnation. In several instances, he suggested that symbolism and context spoke as loudly as formal statements, pointing to staged public celebrations and stark contrasts between official displays and widespread poverty.

He maintained that his central purpose in visiting Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea was pastoral rather than political, describing his mission as accompanying Catholics in their faith.

At the same time, he defended the Vatican’s diplomatic approach, arguing that behind-the-scenes engagement can sometimes achieve outcomes that public denunciations cannot, including the release of prisoners.

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The Holy See, he said, often accomplishes more through quiet diplomacy than through “great proclamations criticizing, judging or condemning.”