In his first Sunday message since being elected pontiff, Pope Leo XIV appealed for an end to war, echoing the calls of the late Pope Francis. Speaking at the end of WW2 commemorations to a crowd of 100,000 in St Peter’s Square, he called for peace in Ukraine, a ceasefire in Gaza with the release of hostages and welcomed the India-Pakistan ceasefire, praying for global peace.
Pope Leo cited his predecessor Pope Francis’ description of the numerous ongoing global conflicts as a “third world war in pieces.”