STORY: POPE LEO: "I condemn all actions that are unjust."
Pope Leo on Thursday firmly condemned the killing of anti-government protesters in Iran, after President Donald Trump recently criticized him for not doing so.
POPE LEO: "I condemn the taking of people's lives. I condemn capital punishment. I believe that human life is to be respected, and that all people, from conception to natural birth, their lives should be respected and protected. So, when a regime, when a country takes decisions, which takes away the lives of other people unjustly, then obviously that is something that should be condemned."
Iranian authorities killed thousands of people during anti-government protests in January.
And rights groups say the government has continued to crack down on opponents while war rages, with Tehran carrying out another execution this week.
Earlier this month, Trump - who has attacked the pope on social media, in part due to his criticism of the Iran war- posted: "will someone please tell Pope Leo" about the deaths of Iranian protesters.
While Pope Leo did not mention Trump in his remarks on Thursday, he said that as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church he does not support war.
Referring to the recent breakdown in peace talks, the pope again urged "dialogue for peace."
