MALABO — Pope Leo XIV urged the United States and Iran to return to talks to end the war during his visit to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. Speaking aboard his plane, he also condemned capital punishment and called for a new culture of peace to replace the recourse to violence whenever conflicts arise.

"As a pastor I cannot be in favor of war," Leo said aboard his plane. "I would like to encourage everyone to find responses that come from a culture of peace and not hatred and division."

He said the focus of international debate should shift away from military solutions. "The question should be about how to promote the values we believe in without the deaths of so many innocents," he said. He revealed that he carries a photo of a Muslim Lebanese boy who had been killed in Israel's recent war with Hezbollah. The boy had been photographed holding a sign welcoming the pope when he visited Lebanon last year.

On capital punishment, Leo aligned himself with a position formalized by his predecessor, Pope Francis, who changed the church's social teaching to declare the practice immoral in all cases. He said: "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." He added that when a country takes decisions that take away the lives of other people unjustly, that is something that should be condemned.

Leo also addressed migration, asserting that countries have the right to control their borders but must not treat migrants worse than animals. He said migrants deserve to be respected in their human dignity and not treated worse than house pets or animals. He also asked what wealthier countries are doing to change the situation in poorer countries so that people are not compelled to leave.

Leo said his primary reason for visiting Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea was pastoral, to accompany his flock in their faith. He said the Holy See can sometimes achieve more through behind-the-scenes diplomatic work, including the release of political prisoners, than through public condemnations. During his stop in Equatorial Guinea, prisoners performed a choreographed song and dance routine.