Echoing comments made yesterday, Pope Leo XIV said this morning that he welcomes the Islamabad Memorandum between Iran and the United States.

During his general audience this morning in St. Peter’s Square (video), Pope Leo XIV reflected on his apostolic journey to Spain and called upon the faithful to learn from Jesus to look upon others with “love, respect, and compassion.”

“The USCCB respectfully urges the EPA to ensure that the flexible approach envisioned by the proposed rule does not come at the expense of the most vulnerable or the integrity of the environment,” the attorneys wrote in their public comments, dated June 8 and posted on the bishops’ website on June 15. “Where the EPA’s proposed rule increases the probability of harm to the common good or to the environment, the EPA should at a minimum retain the relevant restrictions until it fashions new rules that will not unjustifiably increase risk.”

God’s name is “profaned by the will to dominate, by arrogance, and by discrimination; above all, it must never be invoked to justify choices and actions that bring death,” Pope Leo wrote in the June issue of Piazza San Pietro, the magazine of St. Peter’s Basilica. “Unfortunately, this temptation to profane God’s name affects even those who profess to be Christians.”

The words of faith should not be dragged “into political conflict,” or used “to bless nationalism and religiously justify violence and armed struggle,” the Pope added.

“Thank God, there is at least this memorandum that they will officially sign on Friday,” Pope Leo said at Castel Gandolfo. “There will still be several points to be established, but it is always better to do so through dialogue, through negotiation, rather than returning to war.”

The Pope expressed his hope that the memorandum is “truly a solution to the war, that the war is really over and that we can move forward for the good of all. Eliminate nuclear weapons, yes, seek the good of all peoples, seek how to solve the problems also at the economic and social level that have been created in this time.”

Addressing a question about the Society of St. Pius X, the Pope said:

We are still considering making another appeal, to say “do not do this, let us try to live in communion in the Church.”’ But it is their choice.

We must realize what it means for them and for the Church. Certainly, division among Christians is always a painful point, but they refuse to accept certain fundamental elements of the Church, starting with various points of the Second Vatican Council. If they make that choice, I am sorry, but we must move forward.

The Pontiff also addressed questions about his apostolic journey to Spain, migrants, his summer plans, and a potential future trip to Mexico and Peru.

“The Church always supports the development of the country and appreciates projects that bring long-term benefits to society,” said Bishop Joseph Đỗ Quang Khang of Bắc Ninh. “However, development only has meaning when people remain at its center.”

“The concerns of the people are also the concerns of the Church,” Bishop Khang added. “People are losing not only homes and property but also memories, traditions, and faith communities built over many generations.”

The apostolic nuncio to Ukraine lamented a Russian attack on Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves), an eleventh-century Orthodox monastery recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

“Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord promises that he will never forget any of us. He assures us that he has engraved our faces on the palms of his hands and that his love is greater than a mother’s love for her child,” Pope Leo began. “The prophet gives us a glimpse of an intimate and intense dialogue in which God addresses, in familiar terms, each person individually and the people as a whole. Even today, we can read these words as referring to each of us, and everyone can hear that ‘I will never forget you’ spoken directly to them.”

The World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly takes place each year on the fourth Sunday in July, on or close to the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandparents of Jesus. In the United States, the bishops transferred the celebration to the Sunday after Labor Day, to coincide with National Grandparents Day.

On June 15—the day on which the Pope’s message was released—the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life also published pastoral guidelines for the day.

South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung had a “warm and affectionate” audience with Pope Leo XIV on June 15, a day after he thanked the Holy See for its “unconditional support and constant attention” to the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.

Pope Leo XIV emphasized faith, hope, and love in a video message to a climate summit that is taking place today.