By Deborah Castellano Lubov Pope Francis renewed his appeal for a ceasefire in the Middle East and warned against spiraling into an even bigger war, at the conclusion of his Sunday Angelus address in the Vatican.

In a brief press conference on the plane returning from Belgium, Pope Francis answered questions including one on Israel’s targeted killings in Lebanon and Gaza, and others related to his meeting with abuse victims in Brussels, the role of women in society and the reason why he thinks the former Belgian King Baudouin should be canonized.

Pope Francis expressed his ongoing pain and deep concern about the growing and intensifying conflict in Lebanon.

Pope Francis has called on the international community to act in response to the massive Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. "I hope that the international community will do everything to stop this terrible escalation.

Pope Francis expresses sorrow over the expanding war that has now reached "martyrized" Lebanon and called for "an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, Gaza, the rest of Palestine, and Israel."

Pope Francis called for a day of prayer and to mark the anniversary of the Hamas massacre in southern Israel with an "appeal for peace in the world." “In this dramatic hour of our history,” Vatican News cited the Pope saying,