Leo XIV calls for peace in subcontinent, Gaza

Pope Leo XIV called for a genuine and just peace in the Indian subcontinent, Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff that featured some symbolic gestures suggesting a message of unity in a polarised Catholic Church.

“I, too, address the world’s great powers by repeating the ever-present call never again war,’” Leo said from the loggia of St Peter’s Basilica to an estimated 1,00,000 people below.

Traditionalists and conservatives, many of whom felt alienated by Pope Francis’ reforms and loose liturgical style, have been looking for gestures hinting at Leo’s priorities. Some have expressed cautious optimism at the very least with a return to a traditional style.

On hand in the square were two of Europe’s more firebrand conservatives, France’s Marine Le Pen and Italy’s Matteo Salvini. The crowd, filled with marching bands in town for a special Jubilee weekend, erupted in cheers and music as the bells tolled.

World