Pope Leo urges Trump to find 'off-ramp' to end Iran war

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, March 31 (Reuters) - Pope Leo urged U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday to look for an "off-ramp" to end the Iran war, in a rare direct appeal from the pontiff as the regional conflict expands.

"I'm told that President Trump has recently stated that he would like to end the war," said Leo, the first pope from the United States.

"Hopefully he's looking for an off-ramp," the pope told journalists outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo, near Rome. "Hopefully he's looking for a way to decrease the amount of violence."

Leo, who is known for choosing his words carefully, rarely makes direct appeals to national leaders but he has been stepping up criticism of the Iran war in recent weeks.

On Sunday, in unusually forceful remarks, the pope said that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have "hands full of blood".

The month-long Iran conflict, started by joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28, has spread across the region, killing thousands, disrupting energy supplies and threatening to send the global economy into a tailspin .

Leo lamented on Tuesday the number of people who have been killed and said he hoped the violence could end before Easter on April 5.

"There have been so many deaths, including innocent children," the pope said. "Let's continually appeal for peace."

"There are too many people who promote fighting, violence (and) war," said Leo.