Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an end to war in the world as he greeted crowds from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica in his second official public appearance since becoming the leader of the Catholic Church.
The pontiff appealed for a genuine, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, stating that he was deeply saddened by events in the Gaza Strip and called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Following a prayer to the Virgin Mary, the pope cited the recent 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, a conflict which killed 60 million people.
“In today’s dramatic scenario of a third world war in tatters, as repeatedly stated by Pope Francis, I also address the powerful of the world, repeating the ever-timely appeal: No more war!
“Humanitarian aid must be provided to the exhausted civilian population and all the hostages must be freed,”;; he said.
DAILY POST reports that Cardinals chose Leo as the 267th pope at a secret conclave on Thursday, praying he could heal rifts within the Church, renew faith among the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics and address a host of modern-day challenges weighing on the more than 2,000-year-old institution.
According to a transcript released by the Vatican, the 69-year-old Leo, while addressing cardinals on Saturday, called himself a “humble servant of God unworthy successor”;; to St Peter.
