In his first public address, Pope Leo XIV expresses deep pain over the violence in Gaza, urging an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages.

Pope Leo XIV called for a genuine and just peace in Ukraine and an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff that featured some symbolic gestures suggesting a message of unity in a polarized Catholic Church.

The pope entered the church and stopped to pray, first in front of the altar and then in front of the image of the Virgin Mary, where he recited Pope John Paul II’s prayer to the Mother of Good Counsel, according to the Vatican press room.