Pope Leo XIV wasted no time making his position clear on global conflict, using his first Sunday blessing as pontiff to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps and call for an end to all wars currently ravaging the world.
“The immense tragedy of the Second World War ended 80 years ago, after so many millions of victims. And now we’re facing the tragedy of a Third World War in pieces, as Pope Francis often said,” the new pope told the massive crowd from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
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“I too would like to address the powerful people of the world by repeating the ever-present call ‘never again war.’”
Last week’s conclave swiftly resulted in the unprecedented election of the first North American pope ― a 69-year-old missionary who hails from Chicago and spent much of his life in Peru. His first appearance as pontiff came Thursday, where he delivered a message of peace and unity. On Sunday, he called out specific conflicts and war that have divided much of the world.
Laura Lezza via Getty Images
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“I carry in my heart the suffering of the beloved Ukrainian people,” Leo said, referring to Russia’s yearslong war against its neighbour. “May whatever is possible be done to reach an authentic, true and lasting peace as quickly as possible. May all the prisoners be freed. May children return to their families.”
The pope also said that he is “deeply hurt” by the humanitarian crisis facing Gaza due to Israel’s invasion. Leo called for a ceasefire to “immediately come into effect,” for desperately needed aid to reach Palestinian families and for all hostages to be freed.
Leo added that he was “happy to hear” of the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, expressing his hope that the two nuclear powers can negotiate a “lasting accord.” Just hours after the ceasefire, however, both countries allegedly restarted their bombing campaigns.
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Before Leo, Pope Francis gained a reputation for his progressive reforms and for speaking on behalf of marginalised peoples who bear the consequences of global conflict and war launched by major powers. Both the public and a polarized Catholic Church had been waiting to see if the new pope would follow his predecessor’s lead.
Domenico Stinellis via Associated Press
“My hope would be that he has, now, a new platform to reintroduce what the church has always called for in terms of its social justice agenda, and it will give people another opportunity to take a second look at what Francis was saying – but now in the words and the voice of an American who speaks like an American. I think that’s going to be very powerful going forward,” Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, told ABC’s This Week on Sunday.
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Pope Francis frequently butted heads with the United States, specifically the Trump administration in regards to immigrants. Cupich said that Leo will continue his predecessor’s work in standing up for the vulnerable ― including in his home country, the US.
“I think he’s going to help complete and complement our political agenda. He’ll talk a lot about the immigrants as well because he knows about the sufferings of people and the real needs that they have for a better life,” Cupich said.
“And he knows too that people in Oceania, for instance, where the rising sea levels are just overwhelming those islands, where people are trying to escape; he sees the drug trade that’s happening in Central and South America, where there are weapons from the United States going there,” he continued. “He knows that those people need an option. And he’ll for, I think, as the bishops have in the United States, fixing this broken immigration system.”
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