During his enthronement mass, which took place this Sunday in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican and officially marked the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV called for a “just and lasting peace” for the “martyred” Ukraine, remembered the “survivors” of the Gaza war, and lamented the “new hostilities” in Myanmar.
Pope Leo XIV implored for the intercession of the Mother of Good Counsel “as a sign of hope” to grant “the gift of peace and support and comfort for those who suffer.”
“We cannot forget the brothers and sisters who are suffering because of the war. In Gaza, children, families, and elderly survivors are reduced to hunger,” also said the new pontiff of the Catholic Church.
Likewise, the Pope reminded Myanmar, which is suffering “new hostilities” that “have shattered young innocent lives.”
Zelensky’s greeting to the Pope in the Vatican
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky personally thanked Pope Leo XIV on Sunday for his offer to host potential peace talks between Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican to end the war.
The Pope received the Ukrainian president after his mass in St. Peter’s Square.
Zelensky was present at the ceremony seated next to the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, and greeted various Western world leaders, including the kings of Spain and the Vice President of the United States, JD Vance.
After the meeting, Zelensky said on his social media account X that “the authority and voice of the Holy See can play an important role in ending this war”, since “for millions of people around the world, the pontiff is a symbol of hope for peace.”
“We appreciate the Vatican’s willingness to serve as a platform for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia,” added the President of Ukraine before reiterating his readiness to engage in “any format to achieve tangible results.”