Top Vatican cardinal urges Trump, Israel to end war 'as soon as possible'

By Joshua McElwee

ROME, March 18 (Reuters) - The Vatican's top diplomat on Wednesday called on U.S. President Donald Trump to end the expanding Iran war as soon as possible and suggested Israel should also stop its strikes against Lebanon.

"I would say to finish it as soon as possible ... and to leave alone Lebanon," Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a senior advisor to the American Pope Leo, said in an unusually direct appeal.

"This message goes also to the Israelis," he added, speaking to journalists at an event at the Italian parliament.

Vatican diplomats do not usually make direct appeals for action by foreign leaders, preferring to work behind the scenes. Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State since 2013, is known for speaking in muted tones, and seeking to avoid the spotlight.

Leo, who also known for speaking diplomatically, has been ramping up calls for an end to the Iran war in recent days.

On Monday, he urged journalists to highlight the suffering caused by war, cautioning against ​news reports that risk sliding into propaganda by ‌glorifying conflicts.

Parolin said on Wednesday he was worried that the conflict would continue to escalate. He called on Trump and other world leaders "to resolve problems ... through the peaceful ways of diplomacy and dialogue".