Leo urged an end to the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. "I carry in my heart the suffering of the beloved Ukrainian people," he said. "Let us do everything possible to reach a genuine, just and lasting peace as soon as possible. May all prisoners be freed and children be able to return to their families."

Pope Leo XIV has told the world's Jewish communities he wants to strengthen the Roman Catholic Church’s dialogue with them, in a message coming after a souring of relations between the Vatican and Israel over the war in Gaza.