Vatican City, May 11 — In his first Sunday address since being elected to the papacy, newly appointed Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pontiff, issued a heartfelt global appeal for peace — voicing concern over ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, while welcoming the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan.
“I welcome the ceasefire between India and Pakistan,” the Pope said on social media platform X, adding, “and I hope that through the forthcoming negotiations a lasting agreement will soon be reached.”
The new pontiff also spoke emotionally about the continuing war in Ukraine. “I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people,” he said, calling for “an authentic, just and lasting peace as soon as possible.”
He further appealed for the release of prisoners and the return of displaced children. “May all the prisoners be freed and may the children return to their families,” he added.
Turning his attention to Gaza, Pope Leo expressed sorrow over the toll of the fighting and issued a direct plea: “I am deeply saddened by what is happening in the Gaza Strip. Cease fire immediately! Let humanitarian aid be provided to the exhausted civilian population, and let all hostages be freed.”
Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost in Chicago, was elected Thursday in a conclave that surprised and moved Catholics across the Americas, according to CNN.
He becomes the first Pope from the United States and signaled continuity with Pope Francis’s vision while drawing historical inspiration from Pope Leo XIII.
During his first formal audience with the College of Cardinals — which opened with a standing ovation — Pope Leo said his papal name honors Leo XIII, the 19th-century pontiff remembered for confronting the social upheaval of the Industrial Revolution.
“In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor,” he said, speaking in fluent Italian.
Donning the white robes of the papacy, Pope Leo signaled his leadership would reinforce the Church’s commitment to social justice and reform — themes central to his predecessor’s legacy.
