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Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Italian prime minister praises Pope Leo XIV's offer to host Ukraine-Russia peace talks
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for proposing the Vatican as a venue for peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to address Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Source: ANSA, as reported by European Pravda Details: Meloni emphasised the need for a process that ensures a just and lasting peace, while taking into account essential security guarantees for Ukraine, the nation under attack. "We must continue insisting on this, and from this vantage point, let me thank His Holiness Pope Leo XIV for his remarks, in which he also suggested that any future peace talks should take place in the Holy See," she continued. Background: The new Pope Leo XIV proposed the Vatican as a platform for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia after it became clear that the talks in Istanbul would not lead to the desired result. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the Pope's proposal as "very generous". Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
The Independent
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
‘No more war,' Pope Leo pleads to world in first Sunday address at the Vatican
Pope Leo XIV has appealed to world leaders to pursue peace, and not war, in his first Sunday address to crowds in St. Peter's Square. The new pope, formally cardinal Robert Prevost, called for an "authentic and lasting peace" in Ukraine, a ceasefire in Gaza, and the release of all Israeli hostages. The Chicago-born pontiff also welcomed fragile ceasefire agreement signed by India and Pakistan on Saturday. "No more war," the pope said, delivering his speech in Italian. Wearing a simple white cassock of the papacy and his silver pectoral cross, he repeated a frequent call of the late Pope Francis and noted the recent 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two. Pope Leo said today's world was living through "the dramatic scenario of a Third World War being fought piecemeal", again repeating a phrase coined by his predecessor. Nearly 100,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square and on the Via della Conciliazione leading to the Vatican to hear the new pontiff's first Sunday address. They broke into applause at the call for peace on what was a joyous occasion despite his solemn message. It was the first time that Leo had returned to the loggia since he first appeared to the world on Thursday evening following his election as pope, the first from the United States. The new pope said he carried in his heart the "suffering of the beloved people of Ukraine', and he appealed for negotiations to reach an "authentic, just and lasting peace". Leo also said he was "profoundly saddened" by the war in Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian aid and the release of the remaining hostages held by the Hamas militant group in the besieged strip. He added, however: "There are so many other conflicts in the world." Leo also noted that Sunday was Mother's Day in many countries and wished all mothers, 'including those in heaven', a Happy Mother's Day. The crowd, filled with marching bands in town for a special Jubilee weekend, erupted in cheers and music as the bells of St. Peter's Basilica tolled. On Saturday evening, the pope made his first trip outside the Vatican to visit a Catholic shrine and pay respects at the tomb of his predecessor Francis. At the end of the visit there, the pope told those in the shrine that he wanted to come to pray for guidance in the first days of his papacy, according to a Vatican statement. The 69-year-old Chicago-born missionary was elected 267th pope on Thursday following the death of Francis on 21 April.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Never again war!' Pope Leo calls for peace in Ukraine and Gaza in first Vatican address since his election
Pope Leo XIV stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to thunderous applause and an electric atmosphere, to deliver his first Sunday blessing and an address calling for peace in Ukraine and Gaza. The last time he stood on the same velvet-draped ledge, the fragrant scent of white smoke was still hanging in the air and looks of shock permeated the crowd. Just days ago, the election of a US-born pope seemed almost impossible. But those gathered in St. Peter's Square on Sunday knew exactly what to expect – a pontiff who was born in Chicago, shaped in Peru and well-experienced in Vatican leadership. 'Let us take up the invitation that Pope Francis left us in his Message for today: the invitation to welcome and accompany young people,' Leo said Sunday from the balcony, speaking in fluent Italian. 'And let us ask our heavenly Father to assist us in living in service to one another.' 'In today's dramatic scenario of a third world war being fought piecemeal, as Pope Francis said, I too turn to the world's leaders with an ever timely appeal: never again war!,' he said. Pope Leo called for an 'authentic and lasting peace' in Ukraine, as well as a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. He also called for humanitarian aid to be provided 'to the exhausted population' in Gaza. 'I welcomed the announcement of the ceasefire between India and Pakistan and I hope that through negotiations we can reach a lasting agreement,' he added. He told the crowd he was there to deliver a 'message of peace' and led the faithful in the Regina Caeli ('Queen of Heaven') prayer for the first time, surprising those gathered by singing the prayer. The prayer is one of four Marian antiphons, or prayers to the Virgin Mary, which is said throughout the Easter season. The city of Rome said 150,000 people were expected to gather in St. Peter's Square for the prayer and significant law enforcement resources are deployed, but an official estimate of the crowd has yet to be announced. The square was booming with music ahead of Leo's address, as hundreds of musicians from around the world marched into St. Peter's Square for a Jubilee of Bands, playing classic songs from their home countries and even pop songs like Village People's 1978 hit 'YMCA.' As he finished his address, loud shouts of 'viva il papa,' or 'long live the pope,' were heard among the tens of thousands of people. Flags from across the globe, including the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Spain, dotted the crowd. Pope Leo is indicated on Saturday that his papacy will follow closely in the footsteps of the late Pope Francis, setting out a vision for a church led be a missionary focus, courageous dialogue with the contemporary world and 'loving care for the least and the rejected.' Leo is expected to lean in a more progressive way on social issues like migration and poverty but fall more in line with moderates on moral issues of Catholic doctrine. In his first meeting with cardinals on Saturday, the new pontiff said that he chose his papal name to continue down the path of Pope Leo XIII, who addressed 'the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution.' Leo XIII, who was pope from 1878 to 1903, had a strong emphasis on workers' rights and Catholic social doctrine. Leo XIV also used his first weekend as pontiff to visit the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, where he prayed at the tomb of Francis. He also traveled to an Augustinian sanctuary just outside Rome, the Madonna del Buon Consiglio (Mother of Good Counsel), in Genazzano, Italy. Leo is the first pontiff from the Augustinian order, which places an emphasis on service work and building community. He spent more than a decade leading the Augustinians as the prior general, giving him experience of heading an order spread across the world. Even larger crowds are expected to fill St. Peter's Square during Pope Leo's installation Mass, which will take place on Sunday, May 18. CNN's Sharon Braithwaite and Christopher Lamb contributed to this report.
