The Election of Pope Leo XIV delighted and surprised many Catholics and non-Catholics alike. His first words before he gave his apostolic blessing, “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”), were memorable.

The Pope is the only one capable of protecting these people,’ Ukraine’s top Catholic leader tells Leo XIV in personal Vatican appeal.

Pope Leo XIV has 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.