Pope warns humanity's destiny could be 'tragically compromised' and calls on politicians to respect international law

The Pope has warned humanity's future risks being "tragically compromised" due to a breakdown of international law and political responsibility.

Leo was speaking in Equatorial Guinea and his comments appear to be another slight against Donald Trump, who has started a war with Iran and deposed the Venezuelan president.

Mr Trump recently lashed out at the Pope for criticising his policies, but Leo said last week he did not want to get in a debate with the US president.

Speaking today, the Pontiff said: "The destiny ​of humanity risks being tragically compromised without a change of direction in the assumption of political responsibility and ‌without respect for institutions and international agreements."

"His [God's] holy name must not be profaned by the will to dominate, by arrogance or by discrimination. Above all, it must never be invoked to justify choices and actions of death," the Pope added.

The remark was similar to others in March when he said God rejected prayers from leaders with "hands full of blood".

Many saw it as criticism of US defence secretary Pete Hegseth for using Christian language to justify the Iran war.

Leo's comments on Tuesday also came as President Trump was due to host a livestreamed ​Bible reading at the White House.

Equatorial Guinea's president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, welcomed the Pope on his first day in the tiny West African nation.

More than ​70% of its 1.8 million people identify as Catholic.

The Pope is on a 10-day tour of Africa and has used the spotlight to speak more forcefully on war, inequality and global leadership.

In Cameroon last week, he said "a handful of tyrants" were ravaging the world with war, and yesterday in Angola warned of people being "exploited by authoritarians and defrauded by the rich".

The irony is that Equatorial Guinea's president, who's been in power for 46 years, has been accused of being one of the region's most repressive leaders.

However, his government denies claims of human rights abuses and corruption.

A human rights lawyer and activist from Equatorial Guinea, Tutu Alicante, said the Pope's visit was a chance "to affirm, clearly and convincingly, that human dignity, justice, and accountability are not optional, but essential responsibilities of governance".

On Wednesday, the Pontiff is due to visit a detention centre that Amnesty International ⁠says is one of three where people are often held for years without access to lawyers or their families.

He will also pray at a military barracks where more than 100 people were killed by a series of explosions in 2021.

(c) Sky News 2026: Pope warns humanity's destiny could be 'tragically compromised' and calls o