Pope Leo XIV calls for peace in Ukraine and Gaza, saying ‘Never again war’ (Victorican City, 7 July 2008)
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza with the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff.
It was the first time that the pope had returned to the loggia since he first appeared to the world on Thursday evening. He also delivered a message of peace.
The papal tradition of giving a blessing at noon was being picked up by the man. Whereas his predecessors delivered the greeting from the studio window of the Apostolic Palace, off to the side of the piazza, Leo went to the very center of the square and the heart of the basilica.
He wore the simple white cassock of the papacy — not the formal red cape he wore on Thursday night — and had reverted back to wearing his silver pectoral cross. He had worn a more ornate one that contains the relics of St. Augustine and his mother, St. Monica, on Thursday night that had been given to him by his Augustinian religious order.
Leo XIV in VATICAN CITY: Towards a just and lasting peace in the age of artificial intelligence, and the birth of Artificial Intelligence
He said he carries the sufferings of the Ukrainian people in his heart. “Let everything possible be done to achieve genuine, just and lasting peace as soon as possible.”
He called for the release of war prisoners and the return of Ukrainian children to their families, and welcomed the ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
He also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and for humanitarian relief to be provided to the “exhausted civilian population and all hostages be freed.”
The crowd, filled with marching bands in town, erupted in cheers and music as the bells of St Peter’s Basilica tolled. Italian authorities estimated some 100,000 people were in the square.
The Reverend Alejandro Moral Anton was in charge of the private Mass that was held near the tomb of St. Peter. The Mass occurred in the grottoes underneath St. Peter’s, the traditional burial place of St. Peter, the apostle who is considered the be the first pope.
VATICAN CITY — “The way we communicate is of fundamental importance: we must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war,” according to Pope Leo XIV in an address to journalists this morning. He implored them to use communication as a tool for peace.
“I am thinking of those who have died for their beliefs, and of the courage of those who will risk their lives for their beliefs because they can’t make their own decisions.”
Leo also spoke about the challenges the Church and the media face in a changing world, including artificial intelligence. He emphasized the importance of this time in history and said that “responsibility and discernment” are required to ensure technology can be used for the good of all.
It is hard to navigate and to recount some of the events that we are in. The challenge for all of us is one that we should not shy away from. They don’t want us to give in to mediocrity because they want each one of us to be our best self.