05/12/2025

Pope Leo appeals for 'no more war'

Pope Leo XIV appealed to the world's major powers for "no more war" in his first Sunday message to crowds in St. Peter's Square since his election as pontiff last week. Speaking in fluent Italian, the Chicago-born pope said the world was living through "the dramatic scenario of a Third World War being fought piecemeal," repeating a phrase from his predecessor Pope Francis. Pope Leo served for decades as a missionary in Peru before taking a senior Vatican post two years ago.

■Class discussion: As the first pope born in the United States, will Leo have a greater influence over what happens in this country? Why or why not? Many of President Donald Trump’s supporters have already attacked the new pope as too liberal, calling him “woke” and “Marxist.” Do you expect tense relations between Washington and the Vatican? Do you expect Pope Leo’s calls for peace to have much impact on world conflicts? Have any of the 267 popes of the Roman Catholic Church ever called for war?