Pope Leo XIV calls for Gaza ceasefire, peace in Ukraine in first Sunday message
May 12, 2025
Rome [Italy], May 12: Pope Leo XIV has called for genuine peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff.
"No more war," Leo said on Sunday, adding, "the dramatic scenario of a third world war being fought piecemeal." "I too address the world's great powers by repeating the ever-present call 'never again war'," he said from the loggia of Saint Peter's Basilica to an estimated 100,000 people below.
Pope Leo said he carries in his heart the "suffering of the beloved people of Ukraine" and appealed for negotiations to reach an "authentic, just and lasting peace". Leo also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and said he was "profoundly saddened" by the war in the Israeli-besieged enclave. He said humanitarian relief must be provided to the "exhausted civilian population". (Agencies)
Source: Qatar Tribune
