100 days as Pope: Leo XIV calls for global peace

"We must not resign ourselves to the logic of conflict and armed violence gaining the upper hand," said the head of the Catholic Church after the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence not far from Rome. We must not give up hope. "God is greater than the sin of man."

The 69-year-old recalled his predecessor, Pope Pius XII, who had expressed the wish after the Second World War that never again would "the unleashing of battle and war" destroy so many human lives. "How relevant these words are!" said the Pope. "Even today, unfortunately, we still feel powerless in the face of the spread of violence in the world, which is becoming increasingly numb and insensitive to every stirring of humanity."

Robert Francis Prevost was the first American to be elected Pope in May. Since taking office, he has repeatedly called for peace in war and crisis zones such as Gaza and Ukraine.